Ali Salem was once one of Egypt's most prominent playwrights, but his curiosity about Israel has brought him expulsion from his country's cultural circles. Since visiting Israel in 1994 Mr. Salem has not found a producer for his works. He has two plays and a movie script gathering dust and, he said, nobody talks with him anymore about theater, only about politics. "I'm a playwright by nature, and a writer by coercion," Mr. Salem, who still writes newspaper columns, said in an interview. "I have become similar to Kafka's heroes — I don't know what exactly is demanded of me."

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Ali Salem was once one of Egypt's most prominent playwrights, but his curiosity about Israel has brought him expulsion from his country's cultural circles. Since visiting Israel in 1994 Mr. Salem has not found a producer for his works. He has two plays and a movie script gathering dust and, he said, nobody talks with him anymore about theater, only about politics. "I'm a playwright by nature, and a writer by coercion," Mr. Salem, who still writes newspaper columns, said in an interview. "I have become similar to Kafka's heroes — I don't know what exactly is demanded of me."

To read the full article, click here.