Jurji Zaidan: His Contributions to Modern Arab Thought and Literature

 Ismail Serageldin    Download

I am honored to have been invited to join in celebrating the legacy of a remarkable man, who in the short span of half a century, had a profound impact on the culture of his people, the history of his region, and the literature of his language. He helped forge the modern identity of the Arabs, founded the modern mass media there and brought culture to the broad public as he pioneered the use of the novel in Arabic. He was a man of letters who understood and publicized science; a man of the Christian faith who had a profound knowledge of Islam and the history of the Muslim peoples, and helped bring that history to life for generations of Muslims, including myself.

THE GREATNESS OF DON QUIXOTE

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A lecture delivered in 2016 in homage to Miguel de Cervantes
On the occasion of the 400th anniversary of his death
(Repeated at the Library of Alexandria in January 2017)

SHAKESPEARE 400 FOREVER AND A DAY

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THE BOOK IN ARAB/MUSLIM CIVILIZATION

 Ismail Serageldin    Download

Remarks delivered at the Second International Summit of the Book
On the Theme of “the Book by any Name”
At the opening session “The Meaning of the Book in Human Civilization”.
Singapore – 16 August 2013

TEN BOOKS THAT SHAPED THE WORLD

 Ismail Serageldin    Download

I was recently asked to name the ten books that had most shaped the world. Not the ten books that I personally liked best, but the ten books that most influenced humanity and its march towards progress, and the creation of what we call civilization.
The question is not as simple as one would imagine. For it is easy to draw up a long list of important books, much harder to distill them to only ten. I did, and before I share the list with you, I think that I must explain my selection criteria… So here goes:

Shakespeare… Forever and a day

Shakespeare’s Richard II: Reflections on the Undoing of a King

It is 400 years since Shakespeare passed away, and he still amazes us by his prolific genius and his unique protean imagination. We stand in awe of the craftsmanship and mastery of language that this great poet and dramatist possessed. But we are also overwhelmed by how he uses this language in the service of his plays to give superb multi-layered complex creations and well-rounded personalities, be they heroes or villains.

Serageldin's Interview with Mahmoud El-Werwary (El-Hadas Channel)

Serageldin's Interview with Mofeed Fawzi (Dream2 Channel)

It's Natural: Know the World, Know Yourself

- Barcelona

Keynote speech at the international conference cycle "Ciutadella Park: The First Science Park in Barcelona".

Arabic Computational Linguistics

- Alexandria, Egypt

Dr. Serageldin delivered this presentation entitled “Arabic Computational Linguistics” at the Library of Alexandria.

Report to Egypt’s Intellectuals

- Alexandria

Dr. Serageldin delivered this presentation entitled “Report to Egypt’s Intellectuals” at the Library of Alexandria.

Opening Session - Ecrire la Méditerranée: Exiles of the Mediterranean

Shakespeare and the Burden of Leadership

Ismail Serageldin's Interview at Nizami Ganjavi International Center

An interview with Dr. Serageldin held at Nizami Ganjavi International Center.

La Renaissancee la Bibliotheca Alexandrina

 Ismail Serageldin    Download

Shakespeare and the Burden of Leadership

 Ismail Serageldin    Download

Shakespeare’s Henry V - Modern reflections on a Medieval Hero

 Ismail Serageldin    Download

Shakespeare’s Richard II - Reflections on the Downfall of a King

 Ismail Serageldin    Download

The Poetry of the Magnificent Sage

 Ismail Serageldin    Download

The Arabic Translation of Reading The Maya Glyphs

A Course in Ten Lectures: Quantitative Techniques for Social Science Research

- Alexandria

Dr. Serageldin delivered this presentation entitled “A Course in Ten Lectures: Quantitative Techniques for Social Science Research” at the Library of Alexandria.

Lessons from the Aga Khan Award for Architecture

- Alexandria

Dr. Serageldin delivered this presentation entitled “Lessons from the Aga Khan Award for Architecture” at the Library of Alexandria.

Farewell of the Chief Librarian followed by a presentation by Dr Wastawy.

Creativity in Cinema and Architecture

- Alexandria

Dr. Serageldin delivered this presentation entitled “Creativity in Cinema and Architecture” at the Library of Alexandria.

Cinema as an Art Form

Reflections on the Art and Technique of Cinema: Making Movies

- Alexandria

Dr. Serageldin delivered this presentation entitled “Reflections on the Art and Technique of Cinema: Making Movies” at the Library of Alexandria.

Reflections on the Art and Technique of Cinema: The Art of Film

- Alexandria

Dr. Serageldin delivered this presentation entitled “Reflections on the Art and Technique of Cinema: The Art of Film” at the Library of Alexandria.

Reflections on the Art and Technique of Cinema: The Technique of Film

- Alexandria

Dr. Serageldin delivered this presentation entitled “Reflections on the Art and Technique of Cinema: The Technique of Film” at the Library of Alexandria.

Reflections on Culture and Development

- Alexandria, Egypt

Dr. Serageldin delivered this presentation entitled “Reflections on Culture and Development” at the Library of Alexandria.

Cairo Opera House Ceremony

Closing Ceremony of Wikimania 2008 in Alexandria

Reflections on Nature and Being

- Tallberg, Sweden

How dare I speak, when I should let the magic of Beethoven call to the better angels of our nature? I speak because in the rapture of the moment, in the bliss of the immortal harmonies of the “pastorale” we must be reminded that the nature that inspired Beethoven, the nature that his music celebrates, the nature that we enjoy, the nature that we take for granted…

Historic Cities Jewels of the Past, Springboards to the Future

- Azerbaijan

Dr. Serageldin delivered this presentation entitled “Historic Cities Jewels of the Past, Springboards to the Future” in Azerbaijan.

The Challenges of Cultural Diversity

- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

I have been asked to address Cultural diversity. But before I sketch out some of these challenges and suggest some questions for our consideration, I want to bring in a viewpoint that has not been sufficiently heard in these proceedings to this moment.

A Tribute To Hassan Fathy

- Egypt

Dr. Serageldin delivered this presentation entitled “A Tribute To Hassan Fathy” in the Library of Alexandria.

Defining Architectural Excellence The AKAA Over 30 Years

- Alexandria, Egypt

Dr. Serageldin delivered this presentation entitled “Defining Architectural Excellence The AKAA Over 30 Years” at the Library of Alexandria.

Ten Books That Shaped the World: A Discussion

- Shanghai, China

I was recently asked to name the ten books that had most shaped the world. Not the ten books that I personally liked best, but the ten books that most influenced humanity and its march towards progress, and the creation of what we call civilization.

One, Two, Three, Four…The Hidden Geometries in Shakespearean Constructs

- Alexandria, Egypt

On a bright sunny day, half a century after the death of Shakespeare, a young man darkened his room in Cambridge, and made a hole in his window shutters, allowing only a single beam of sunlight to enter the darkened room. He placed a glass prism in the path of the light, and lo! The bright white light, suddenly became a spectacular explosion of colors! A multicolored rainbow!

Understanding The USA: Part 5 - American Culture and The Power of Ideas

- Alexandria

Dr. Serageldin delivered this presentation entitled “Understanding The USA: Part 5 - American Culture and The Power of Ideas” in the Library of Alexandria.

Understanding The USA: Part 4 - The Constitution

- Alexandria

Dr. Serageldin delivered this presentation entitled “Understanding The USA: Part 4 - The Constitution” in the Library of Alexandria.

Understanding The USA: Part 2 - The 19th Century

- Alexandria

Dr. Serageldin delivered this presentation entitled “Understanding The USA: Part 2 - The 19th Century” in the Library of Alexandria.

Understanding The USA: Part 3 - The 20th Century

- Alexandria

Dr. Serageldin delivered this presentation entitled “Understanding The USA: Part 3 - The 20th Century” in the Library of Alexandria.

Understanding The USA: Part 1 - Origins, Revolution, Constitution

- Alexandria

Dr. Serageldin delivered this presentation entitled “Understanding The USA: Part 1 - Origins, Revolution, Constitution” in the Library of Alexandria.

Much More Than a Building … : Reclaiming the Legacy of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina

 Ismail Serageldin    Download

The Description: Dr. Boutros Boutros Ghali and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina

- Alexandria, Egypt

Dr. Serageldin delivered this presentation entitled “The Description: Dr. Boutros Boutros Ghali and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina” at the Library of Alexandria.

Universality of Shakespeare: Contemporary Issues: Gender, Racism and War

- Alexandria, Egypt

It is a distinct honor to welcome you all to the New Bibliotheca Alexandrina, which like its namesake of old, seeks to be a center of learning and scholarship, a center of discussion and dialogue.

Reflections on the Cartoons Controversy

The recent cartoon controversy that engaged the world showed that there was a profound gulf of misunderstanding between the Muslim world and the west. To many in the west, the publication of some offensive cartoons about the Prophet Muhammad in a Danish newspaper, and their subsequent reprinting in other western papers, was just a matter of free expression and did not justify the anger that swept the Muslim world and which resulted in violence....

A Landmark Building: Reflections on the Architecture of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina.

 Ismail Serageldin    Download

Writing is an Act of Love

- The Inauguration of the Exhibition of Hans Christian Andersen, Alexandria, Egypt

Earlier this year and subsequently, I have had the honor as an ambassador for the campaign for Andersen’s bicentennial to speak of the deceptive simplicity of his talent, of the lasting value o his works, of the magic of his fairytales. Today, as we come close to the end of that great year we launched standing together in the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, we stand together again in the Bibliotheca Alexandrina to inaugurate a special exhibition dedicated to HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN, right here in the heart of the Reading room of the BA.