Praise for the previous volumes:

“Invaluable. . . . The editors . . . [have] recover[ed] the lost voices of African women and, as a consequence, have restored their rich cultural and historical legacies.”—Library Journal, starred review

“Essential. All readers; all levels.”—Choice magazine, Outstanding Academic Titles, 2006

“A splendid resource. . . . Authoritative, readable introductory notes to each selection provide essential background and biography.”—Booklist

“Urgent, powerful. . . . The editors have created a place where the voices of all sorts of African women can be heard.”—The New York Review of Books

The acclaimed Women Writing Africa project ends with The Northern Region, which covers six countries—Algeria, Egypt, Mauritania, Morocco, Sudan, and Tunisia—and contains over one hundred texts from nine languages. This pioneering volume includes works from 3000 BCE to the present, and contains entries referring to three of the world’s major religions. It encompasses a vast array of women’s experiences, from an ancient Egyptian marriage proposal to a personal history of the Inquisition to a plea for higher education.

Fatima Sadiqi teaches at the University of Fès.

Amira Nowaira teaches at Alexandria University.

Azza El Kholy teaches at Alexandria University and directs the Institute for Peace in the Bibliotheca Alexandrina.

Moha Ennaji directs Arab studies at Rutgers University and the doctoral program on gender studies at the University of Fès.