In this critical study, Nadje Sadig Al-Ali analyzes the representations of women in the works of six Egyptian writers. Her purpose is to determine to what extent these writers exhibit a gender ideology, and to examine the reflection of wider discourses that are linked to the particular depiction of gender. The six authors--Nawal El Saadawi, Alifa Rifaat, Salwa Bakr, Sherif Hetata, Sonallah Ibrahim, and Suleiman Fayyad--also speak for themselves in interviews that deal with their motivation to write, their idea of the role of literature in society, the meaning they attach to their own literary works, and their attitude to the position and roles of women in Egyptian society.

Nadje Sadig Al-Ali obtained her master's degree in anthropology and sociology from the American University in Cairo.