We are, with astonishing simplicity, confronted with a death declared from the very first pages, yet simultaneously aware that it is a metaphor for a life no less teeming with clamor, secrecy, and passion. —Sobhi Hadidi, from his blurb on the cover of "A Room Overlooking the Nile," 2004. In "The Sea Behind the Curtains," Qamhawi presents his unique variations on what I have termed the Arab exodus experience. This is a rich experience within Egyptian literature. —Sabri Hafez, on "The Sea Behind the Curtains," Al-Tahrir Newspaper, 2014. With the agility of a snake that both fears and instills fear, Qamhawi borrows the language of the city to confront it with its sayings and myths, stripping it of its cloak that fails to conceal its nakedness. —Abdel Rahman El-Abnoudi, on "The City of Pleasure" in his prose work "The End of the Night." "The City of Pleasure" is a remarkable work, a landmark in the art of Arabic storytelling. A text of exceptional precision, coherence, and sensitivity. —Fathi Abu Rafia, from his book "Deconstructing Narrative." This writing springs from despair. Every pleasure must be experienced within the confines of the moment. All beauty is in reality an illusion. - Enaya Jaber - On the City of Pleasure, As-Safir Newspaper 2009.