GEBO publishers all kinds of books. A book may be an independent general publication or belong to one of GEBO's many series, covering various fields of knowledge. These series are:
Contemporary Poets; New Authors, the 2nd stage of the Thousand-Book-project; Egyptian History; Arab Heritage; Prize Winning Authors / Works; Science and Life; Union Book; New Writings; Children's Books (Children's Literature Around the World, Suzan Mubarak Award for Paintings and Books for the Children, Plays from Arab Tradition of Children) General Books; Novels; Poetry; Plays; Abridged Books from Arabic Classics; Doctrines and Figures, Teymour Award for Young Dramatists.
As has been said, apart from implementing the Family Library project, GEBO publishes the following series : Literature, Arabic Classics, Social Sciences, Science and Technology, Academic Works, On Art, Children's Books (Know and Learn, Suzan Mubarak Award for Writing and Painting for Children), and ‘centenaries' (books marking the centenary of the birth or death of an author).
Over many years GEBO has published a number of encyclopedias and dictionaries, namely The Encyclopedia of Fine Arts in Egypt (80 Years of Ideas 1908-1988), The Encyclopedia of Islam, The Encyclopedia of Women Down the Centuries, Modern Egypt, The Encyclopedia for Young People, Dictionary of the Theatre.
Translation is a means of knowing the Other, of learning all about the culture and thinking of the Other. It is also a means of direct communication with the Other, Through an understanding of the thought and cultural heritage of the Other.
Whether from or into Arabic, translation is a means of adequately understanding the Other.
In 1986, GEBO started a project for translation into Arabic through the 2nd stage of the Thousand-Book-Project, which complements the 1st Thousand Book which have been translated since the early beginnings of the General Establishment for Writing and Publishing. The number of translated books has reached 369.
In 1986 too, GEBO started another project for translating Arabic Literature into English entitled Contemporary Arabic Literature. This project succeeded in translating into English many contemporary Arabic authors, boasting 75 titles. From English some of these have been translated into other languages such as Spanish and German. Among the authors translated have been Naguib Mahfouz, the Nobel Laureate, Yusuf Idris, Mahmud Teymour and other novelists, short story writers and poets. The project came to a halt in 2002.
However, with Dr. Nasir al-Ansari as GEBO chairman, the project was transformed into a more ambitious plan for the “Export of Egyptian Thought in Translation”. Translation from Arabic into other languages came to be regarded as the task urgently needed at this juncture. This should make it possible for the West to know the Arabs better. For centuries translation of Arabic works into foreign languages was left to a few orientalists whose output was meagre.The West did, indeed, admit that it had not adequately understood Arab thought. The fact is that Arab thought had not been properly presented to the world, and the West in particular wanted to familiarize itself with the content of Arab culture and the way of thinking of those that possessed that culture. The “Export of Egyptian Thought” is therefore an attempt at transmitting Egyptian and Arab thought to the world, explaining how we handle local and international issues, through what we ourselves write not what the others write about us. The idea has already been adopted and put into practice, with the translation of Egyptian creative works into English, French and Spanish. A number of publishers in European countries have accepted and some, especially in France, Britain and Spain, have pledged to ensure success for the project.
