Woman at Point Zero
by Nawal El Saadawi
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'An unforgettable, unmissable book for the new global feminist.' The Times 'All the men I did get to know filled me with but one desire: to lift my hand and bring it smashing down on his face.' So begins Firdaus's remarkable story of rebellion against a society founded on lies, hypocrisy, brutality and oppression. Born to a peasant family in the Egyptian countryside, Firdaus struggles through childhood, seeking compassion and knowledge in a world which gives her little of either. As she show more grows up and escapes the fetters of her childhood, each new relationship teaches her a bitter but liberating truth - that the only free people are those who want nothing, fear nothing and hope for nothing. This classic novel has been an inspiration to countless people across the world. Saadawi's searing indictment of society's brutal treatment of women continues to resonate today. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
It's hard to know what is fact and what fiction in this short novel by one of Egypt's most renowned feminist writers. In her introduction, El Saadawi writes that she wrote this novel after an encounter with a woman in Qanatir Prison. El Saadawi had been fired for writing things "viewed unfavourably by the authorities" and was doing research into the psychological problems of Egyptian women and the links between mental illness and oppression (she's also a medical doctor). She was interested in prisons in part because her partner had spent 13 years in prison as a "political detainee". Little did she know, when she was interviewing female prisoners as a psychiatrist, that several years later she too would be a prisoner there.
The prisoner show more that most interested El Saadawi was named Firdaus, a woman who had been convicted of killing a man and was sentenced to be executed, which she was in 1974. Her interviews with Firdaus would become the inspiration for Woman at Point Zero. The novel is told in the first person, as though Firdaus is speaking to El Saadawi, further blurring the lines between fact and fiction. In addition, the narrator repeats herself at times and has phrases which she uses over and over. Was this characteristic of Firdaus herself, or is it a literary technique introduced by the author? Perhaps it doesn't matter where the line is between fact and fiction, because in some ways it is the story of oppressed women everywhere.
Firdaus grew up in squalor with a brutal father and a mother whose eyes were dark and resigned. Her uncle saw potential in her, and took her to live with him and attend secondary school. When he marries, she is sent to boarding school. After graduating, she is married off to an elderly widower, and her life goes downhill from there. I'm not going to say much more about the plot, but it is related in a deadpan tone that only serves to emphasize the brutality and despair. The effects of poverty and oppression play out to the ultimate end in Firdaus' life. She reflects bitterly:
For death and truth are similar in that they both require a great courage if one wishes to face them. And truth is like death in that it kills. When I killed I did it with truth not with a knife. That is why they are afraid and in a hurry to execute me. They do not fear my knife. It is my truth which frightens them.
A few years after this book was published, El Saadawi might have felt that these words were prophetic, for she too would be punished for speaking her truth. She would later say, "Danger has been a part of my life ever since I picked up a pen and wrote. Nothing is more perilous than truth in a world that lies." She was released one month after President Sadat was assassinated. show less
The prisoner show more that most interested El Saadawi was named Firdaus, a woman who had been convicted of killing a man and was sentenced to be executed, which she was in 1974. Her interviews with Firdaus would become the inspiration for Woman at Point Zero. The novel is told in the first person, as though Firdaus is speaking to El Saadawi, further blurring the lines between fact and fiction. In addition, the narrator repeats herself at times and has phrases which she uses over and over. Was this characteristic of Firdaus herself, or is it a literary technique introduced by the author? Perhaps it doesn't matter where the line is between fact and fiction, because in some ways it is the story of oppressed women everywhere.
Firdaus grew up in squalor with a brutal father and a mother whose eyes were dark and resigned. Her uncle saw potential in her, and took her to live with him and attend secondary school. When he marries, she is sent to boarding school. After graduating, she is married off to an elderly widower, and her life goes downhill from there. I'm not going to say much more about the plot, but it is related in a deadpan tone that only serves to emphasize the brutality and despair. The effects of poverty and oppression play out to the ultimate end in Firdaus' life. She reflects bitterly:
For death and truth are similar in that they both require a great courage if one wishes to face them. And truth is like death in that it kills. When I killed I did it with truth not with a knife. That is why they are afraid and in a hurry to execute me. They do not fear my knife. It is my truth which frightens them.
A few years after this book was published, El Saadawi might have felt that these words were prophetic, for she too would be punished for speaking her truth. She would later say, "Danger has been a part of my life ever since I picked up a pen and wrote. Nothing is more perilous than truth in a world that lies." She was released one month after President Sadat was assassinated. show less
Firdaus is simply the grandest character I have ever read about. Female, male or female, real or fictional. Firdaus is pure human, pure freedom.
'I am saying that you are criminals, all of you: the fathers, the uncles, the husbands, the pimps, the lawyers, the doctors, the journalists, and all men of all professions.'
They said, 'You are a savage and dangerous woman.'
'I am speaking the truth. And truth is savage and dangerous.'
'I am saying that you are criminals, all of you: the fathers, the uncles, the husbands, the pimps, the lawyers, the doctors, the journalists, and all men of all professions.'
They said, 'You are a savage and dangerous woman.'
'I am speaking the truth. And truth is savage and dangerous.'
This is a little book but I found it really powerful, and poignant.
Woman at Point Zero was the result of an encounter El-Saadawi had with an Arab woman in the Egyptian Qanatir Prison, while doing research on neuroses in Egyptian women. In real life, the woman, Firdaus, had killed a man and was sentenced to death for the offence. Firdaus initially refused to see her but finally conceded an interview and then slowly began to reveal her "terrible but wonderful" life story to El-Saadawi, the psychiatrist.
The dignified Firdaus had a huge impact on El-Saadawi, so much so that she never quite forgot her. When she herself landed in prison some years later as a political activist, she still looked out for the almost regal Firdaus – though by show more then Firdaus had already been executed.
The storyline in the novel is much the same. A psychiatrist seeks an interview with a woman (a prostitute) imprisoned for murdering a man (her pimp). She is refused numerous times but finally gains an interview. What follows is the woman's narration of her terrible yet amazing life story, since childhood. Here was a child and woman, with loads of potential and a yearning to use her mind to do something useful with her life; sadly society didn't accommodate her at any point.
The book is an indictment of men (and some women) in patriarchal Egyptian society, but it also a celebration of the human spirit and how it strives to survive against all odds. I recommend this book – although it becomes fairly unpleasant, at times. show less
Woman at Point Zero was the result of an encounter El-Saadawi had with an Arab woman in the Egyptian Qanatir Prison, while doing research on neuroses in Egyptian women. In real life, the woman, Firdaus, had killed a man and was sentenced to death for the offence. Firdaus initially refused to see her but finally conceded an interview and then slowly began to reveal her "terrible but wonderful" life story to El-Saadawi, the psychiatrist.
The dignified Firdaus had a huge impact on El-Saadawi, so much so that she never quite forgot her. When she herself landed in prison some years later as a political activist, she still looked out for the almost regal Firdaus – though by show more then Firdaus had already been executed.
The storyline in the novel is much the same. A psychiatrist seeks an interview with a woman (a prostitute) imprisoned for murdering a man (her pimp). She is refused numerous times but finally gains an interview. What follows is the woman's narration of her terrible yet amazing life story, since childhood. Here was a child and woman, with loads of potential and a yearning to use her mind to do something useful with her life; sadly society didn't accommodate her at any point.
The book is an indictment of men (and some women) in patriarchal Egyptian society, but it also a celebration of the human spirit and how it strives to survive against all odds. I recommend this book – although it becomes fairly unpleasant, at times. show less
This absolutely blew me away. It's been on my list for years now, and I am so glad I finally picked it up. ALL THE CONTENT WARNINGS for sexual violence and coercion. The energy kind of reminded me of SCUM Manifesto, except with literary motifs instead of manic energy.
Such a harrowing and moving and stark depiction of the "damned if you do, damned if you don't" bind misogynist cultures place on women. Read when you want to burn all men down to the ground.
Such a harrowing and moving and stark depiction of the "damned if you do, damned if you don't" bind misogynist cultures place on women. Read when you want to burn all men down to the ground.
#ReadAroundTheWorld #Egypt
“A man does not know a woman’s value, Firdaus. She is the one who determines her value.”
Woman At Point Zero is a powerful feminist work written and published in the 1970s by prize-winning Egyptian author Nawal El Saadawi. El Saadawi began as a psychiatrist before becoming Minister for Health. Her writings and activism lead to her being removed from this role and to her imprisonment. At one point she fled Egypt due to death threats, but has continued to campaign strongly for women’s rights.
El Sawaadi writes about her prison visitation to Firdaus, a woman awaiting execution. As Nawal sits on the cold prison floor Firdaus recounts her life story. The book is a fictionalised account of this story, a story show more of sorrow, hardship and difficulty, yet strength and perseverance. Firdaus is physically and mentally abused in turn by each man in her life. From a lecherous uncle who marries her off at nineteen to a man in his sixties who beats her, to her colleagues, and even men who begin as kind and seemingly well-intentioned. As Firdaus sums up: “All women are victims of deception. Men impose deception on women and punish them for being deceived, force them down to the lowest level and punish them for falling so low, bind them in marriage and then chastise them with menial service for life, or insults, or blows.”
The book is written in a lyrical almost dreamlike fashion. As tragic events shape Firdaus’ philosophy and thinking. The story ends with Firdaus facing her jailers with her truth.
“They said, 'You are a savage and dangerous woman.'
I am speaking the truth. And the truth is savage and dangerous.”
“It is my truth which frightens them. This fearful truth gives me great strength. It protects me from fearing death, or life, or hunger, or nakedness, or destruction. It is this fearful truth which prevents me from fearing the brutality of rulers and policemen. I spit with ease on their lying faces and words, on their lying newspapers.”
I found this book sad as it contains so much violence against one woman but nevertheless it manages to convey strength and truth and highlight the plight of many women around the world. A powerful read. show less
“A man does not know a woman’s value, Firdaus. She is the one who determines her value.”
Woman At Point Zero is a powerful feminist work written and published in the 1970s by prize-winning Egyptian author Nawal El Saadawi. El Saadawi began as a psychiatrist before becoming Minister for Health. Her writings and activism lead to her being removed from this role and to her imprisonment. At one point she fled Egypt due to death threats, but has continued to campaign strongly for women’s rights.
El Sawaadi writes about her prison visitation to Firdaus, a woman awaiting execution. As Nawal sits on the cold prison floor Firdaus recounts her life story. The book is a fictionalised account of this story, a story show more of sorrow, hardship and difficulty, yet strength and perseverance. Firdaus is physically and mentally abused in turn by each man in her life. From a lecherous uncle who marries her off at nineteen to a man in his sixties who beats her, to her colleagues, and even men who begin as kind and seemingly well-intentioned. As Firdaus sums up: “All women are victims of deception. Men impose deception on women and punish them for being deceived, force them down to the lowest level and punish them for falling so low, bind them in marriage and then chastise them with menial service for life, or insults, or blows.”
The book is written in a lyrical almost dreamlike fashion. As tragic events shape Firdaus’ philosophy and thinking. The story ends with Firdaus facing her jailers with her truth.
“They said, 'You are a savage and dangerous woman.'
I am speaking the truth. And the truth is savage and dangerous.”
“It is my truth which frightens them. This fearful truth gives me great strength. It protects me from fearing death, or life, or hunger, or nakedness, or destruction. It is this fearful truth which prevents me from fearing the brutality of rulers and policemen. I spit with ease on their lying faces and words, on their lying newspapers.”
I found this book sad as it contains so much violence against one woman but nevertheless it manages to convey strength and truth and highlight the plight of many women around the world. A powerful read. show less
4.5 rounded up. This is heartbreaking but somehow full of the little sparks in a dark life. The most profound revelation she has is when she realizes that she was more respected as a prostitute than a woman with an office job. Always a thing to men, but at least they paid her as a prostitute.
Based upon the author’s encounter with a woman imprisoned in Qanatir prison in Cairo, Egypt this novel was written by Dr Nawan El Saadawi, a psychiatrist who came upon a woman in solitary confinement, awaiting her execution. She is an Egyptian feminist novelist born in 1931. A challenging read in terms of content yet written in a sparse and apparently simple style. This is a powerful and uncomfortable story with a depth of meaning far beneath the surface of the words.
Following the first 1978 Arabic publication in Beirut it was banned across several middle east countries, including Egypt. The French edition of the novel was awarded the 1982 Literary Prize for Franco-Arab Friendship.
I found this work inspiring, deeply thought provoking show more and at many points it drove me to reflect on 'my' life choices. Thoughts of freedom, dignity, respect for others and for oneself ... all of which I have a choice to accept - or not. Doris Lessing wrote of this book as one in which we are reminded not to take our good fortune for granted. That certainly rang true for me and compelled me to ask how am I using the freedom that I have?
At one point I recalled A Women of One’s Own as the twenty five year old Firdaus speaks of a room in her apartment. This part of her story finds her saying … ‘Now I could decide on the food I wanted to eat, the house I preferred to live in, refuse the man for whom I felt an aversion no matter what the reason, and choose the man I wished to have ….’ She then talks of her liking of culture. ... ‘ever since I had started to go to school and had learned to read, but especially during this last period, since I could buy books. I had a large library in my apartment, and it was here that I spent most of my free time. On the walls I had hung …. And right in the middle was my secondary school certificate surrounded by an expensive frame. I never received anyone in the library. It was a very special room reserved for me alone’ … (page 69)
I highly recommend this book for all to ponder upon the value and meaning of life. show less
Following the first 1978 Arabic publication in Beirut it was banned across several middle east countries, including Egypt. The French edition of the novel was awarded the 1982 Literary Prize for Franco-Arab Friendship.
I found this work inspiring, deeply thought provoking show more and at many points it drove me to reflect on 'my' life choices. Thoughts of freedom, dignity, respect for others and for oneself ... all of which I have a choice to accept - or not. Doris Lessing wrote of this book as one in which we are reminded not to take our good fortune for granted. That certainly rang true for me and compelled me to ask how am I using the freedom that I have?
At one point I recalled A Women of One’s Own as the twenty five year old Firdaus speaks of a room in her apartment. This part of her story finds her saying … ‘Now I could decide on the food I wanted to eat, the house I preferred to live in, refuse the man for whom I felt an aversion no matter what the reason, and choose the man I wished to have ….’ She then talks of her liking of culture. ... ‘ever since I had started to go to school and had learned to read, but especially during this last period, since I could buy books. I had a large library in my apartment, and it was here that I spent most of my free time. On the walls I had hung …. And right in the middle was my secondary school certificate surrounded by an expensive frame. I never received anyone in the library. It was a very special room reserved for me alone’ … (page 69)
I highly recommend this book for all to ponder upon the value and meaning of life. show less
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Published Reviews
"Nawal el Saadawi writes with directness and passion, transforming the systematic brutalisation of peasants and of women in to powerful allegory" - New York Times Book Review
"Scorching" - New Internationalist
"A powerful indictment of the treatment of women in many parts of the Middle East" - Labour Herald
"Woman at Point Zero should begin the long march towards a realistic and sympathetic show more portrayal of Arab women" - Middle East International
"A dramatic symbolised version of female revolt against the norms of the Arab world" - The Guardian
"El Saadawi has a flair for melodrama and mystery" - International Journal of Middle East Studies
"It is a remarkable book. Painful, compulsive reading. I am sure some of you know all about it but for those who don't this short novel, or creative non-fiction as the author describes it, is the story of Fidraus, a prostitute about to be executed for murdering her pimp. Her life is recounted in a little over 100 pages but each one leaves an indelible mark. This is a tale of injustice, inequality and sheer bad luck to rival all those bloody misery memoirs that litter the supermarkets but it is written with such grace and skill as to be on a par with the finest literature of this or any era. [...] Leaves an indelible mark. This is a tale of injustice, inequality and sheer bad luck…written with such grace and skill as to be on a part with the finest literature of this or any era… haunting, poetic and fiercely relevant". - Scott Pack, The Friday Project show less
"Scorching" - New Internationalist
"A powerful indictment of the treatment of women in many parts of the Middle East" - Labour Herald
"Woman at Point Zero should begin the long march towards a realistic and sympathetic show more portrayal of Arab women" - Middle East International
"A dramatic symbolised version of female revolt against the norms of the Arab world" - The Guardian
"El Saadawi has a flair for melodrama and mystery" - International Journal of Middle East Studies
"It is a remarkable book. Painful, compulsive reading. I am sure some of you know all about it but for those who don't this short novel, or creative non-fiction as the author describes it, is the story of Fidraus, a prostitute about to be executed for murdering her pimp. Her life is recounted in a little over 100 pages but each one leaves an indelible mark. This is a tale of injustice, inequality and sheer bad luck to rival all those bloody misery memoirs that litter the supermarkets but it is written with such grace and skill as to be on a par with the finest literature of this or any era. [...] Leaves an indelible mark. This is a tale of injustice, inequality and sheer bad luck…written with such grace and skill as to be on a part with the finest literature of this or any era… haunting, poetic and fiercely relevant". - Scott Pack, The Friday Project show less
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Author Information
69+ Works 3,157 Members
Nawal El Saadawi was born in 1931. She is an Egyptian feminist author, acitvist, physician and psychiatrist whose writings focus on the subject of women in Islam. She is founder and president of the Arab Women's Solidarity Association, and co-founder of the Arab Association for Human Rights.
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Notable Lists
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Woman at Point Zero
- Original publication date
- 1975; 1983 (English translation) (English translation)
- People/Characters
- Firdaus
- First words
- Firdaus is known around the world. It's true. From Jakarta to Jeddah to Jerusalem and Johannesburg, Muslim and non-Muslim women know this woman, this heroine of Woman at Point Zero This not, or rather creative non-fict... (show all)ion, takes the reader into the cell of a woman the night before her executive. -Foreword, Miriam Cooke, 2007
I wrote this novel after an encounter between me and a woman in Qanatir Prison. A few months before, I had started research on neurosis in Egyptian women, and was able to concentrate most of my time on this work as I was then... (show all) without a job. At the end of 1972 the Minister of Health had removed from me my functions as Director of Health Education and Editor-in-Chief of the magazine Health. This was one more consequence o the path I had chosen as a feminist author and novelist whose ideas were viewed unfavorably by the authorities -Preface
This is the story of a real woman. I met her in the Qanatir Prison a few years ago. I was doing research on the personalities of a group of women prisoners and detainees convicted or accused of various offences. -Chapter 1 - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)And at that moment I realized that Firdaus had more courage than I.
- Blurbers
- Pack, Scott
- Original language
- Arabic
- Canonical DDC/MDS
- 892.736
- Canonical LCC
- PJ7862.A3 W6
Classifications
- Genres
- Fiction and Literature, General Fiction
- DDC/MDS
- 892.736 — Literature & rhetoric Literatures of other languages Afro-Asiatic literatures Arabic (Egypt, Lebanon, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Sudan) Arabic fiction 1945–2000
- LCC
- PJ7862 .A3 .W6 — Language and Literature Oriental languages and literatures Oriental philology and literature Arabic Arabic literature Individual authors or works
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 1,266
- Popularity
- 19,331
- Reviews
- 43
- Rating
- (3.92)
- Languages
- 14 — Arabic, Catalan, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Norwegian (Bokmål), Spanish, Swedish, Turkish
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 45
- ASINs
- 13