Politics, Power and Principle
Insights from Shakespeare
Published on 13. February 2025
144 pages
978-977-795-489-1 (ISBN)
Description
I am one of the many admirers of Shakespeare's genius. I have even written a book about his unique ability to remain relevant to our contemporary concerns. The work was titled The Modernity of Shakespeare1 and it was very well received, and even earned a very laudatory foreword by W ole Soyinka, Nobel laureate in Literature, and professor of English literature. So it is no surprise that when I founded the New Library of Alexandria in Egypt, I also organized an annual Shakespeare event - usually organized on the 23rd of April if at all possible - in which many eminent literary critics participated. And as we focused on the plays rather than the long poems or the sonnets, some actors and occasionally cinematographers also participated. Students from the departments of English in many universities across Egypt, also invariably participated.
At that annual event I usually presented a special lecture on Shakespeare. This went on for almost 15 years.
At that annual event I usually presented a special lecture on Shakespeare. This went on for almost 15 years.
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Person
Ismail Serageldin is the Co-Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center (NGIC). He was the Founding Director of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the New Library of Alexandria in Egypt (2001-2017). Before that he was the Vice-President of the World Bank (1993-2000) in charge of Environmentally Sustainable Development (ESD), and the Chairman of the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). He served on many international committees and commissions, including serving as a member of the High Level group for the Alliance of Civilizations convened by the Secretary General of the United Nations (2006-2007). He was also a distinguished professor at Wageningen University and the College de France. He is a member of many Academies and serves on many commissions, boards, and advisory committees for academic, research, and NGO institutions. He has lectured widely and published more than 100 books and 500 articles. He has received many awards from many countries and has received more than 40 honorary doctorates from all over the world.
