In Search of Identity

Outline

In Search of Identity (1978) is the autobiography of Anwar el-Sadat, tracing his life from childhood in the Egyptian village of Mit Abul Kom to the presidency of Egypt. He describes his role in the Free Officers movement and the 1952 revolution, his years in prison, the October 1973 war, and his later decision to pursue peace. The book offers a personal account of Egypt’s modern history and of the choices that shaped his leadership.

• Sadat's story begins in the Egyptian village of Mit Abul Kom, far from the presidency he would later hold.
• He describes his role in the Free Officers movement and the 1952 revolution from the inside.
• The book covers his years in prison, which formed part of the path to his leadership.
• Sadat gives his own account of the October 1973 war and its place in Egypt's modern history.
• He explains his later decision to pursue peace, and presents it as a choice that shaped his leadership.

Anwar el-Sadat (1918–1981) was the third President of Egypt, serving from 1970 until his assassination in 1981. He led Egypt during the October 1973 war and later pursued a peace agreement, for which he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1978.