Echoes of The Island
by Ahmed Fathi Shalabi

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We learned to plant crops, fish, love, and wait. Two places could hardly seem as different in ways of life than Alexandria, Egypt and Sherwood, Prince Edward Island. But in this collection of vignettes, author Ahmed Fathi Shalabi reflects on his upbringing on the Island as an immigrant from one of Egypt’s most historical cities, weaving together his bucolic Maritime childhood with the ancient Egyptian ideals of hiraeth and the balance of Ma’at’s feather, showing how both lands, in fact, are defined by human trust, harmony, and the ancient wisdom of water. Drawing on history, philosophy, and the aroma of his mother’s cooking, Shalabi meditates on the meaning of faith and truth, love and loss, identity and community. Whether translating stories of digging for clams and attending church lobster boils through passages of the Qur’an, braiding together passages from Anne of Green Gables with the lyrics of Umm Kulthum’s songs, or imagining Osiris and Isis gazing thoughtfully over the red cliffs that dot PEI’s shore, the vignettes of Echoes of the Island are as reflective and patient as the nature of Island life itself. Our memories, uncertain and incomplete, became a mosaic of moments, some faded, others vivid, woven into the fabric of Island life. Even as we let go, something within us held fast, cradling the past like a lantern that gently illuminated our way forward.

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Ahmed Fathi Shalabi is a writer whose experience taking a memoir-writing course at Carleton University led him to write this, his first collection of memoirist writing. He is also the author of Humanity’s Beauty and Risk: Poetic and Philosophic Reflections (2023), a book of daily prompts encouraging readers to live in the moment. Originally from Alexandria, Egypt, Shalabi moved to Prince Edward Island as a child, the experience that inspired him to write this book, which he hopes will help others learn about Canadian identity and the immigrant experience. Presently retired, outside of his writing, he is interested in engineering and philosophy. He lives in Ottawa with his spouse, two daughters, and two cats. Interested in getting in touch? You can connect with Ahmed on LinkedIn or Facebook.

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Ahmed Fathi Shalabi