Egyptian writer Iman Mersal recently became the first African woman to win the prestigious Sheikh Zaid Book award.

The award, worth more than $275,000 (£200,000), was given to her for non-fiction novel In the Footsteps of Enayat al-Zayyat.

She first developed interest in the writer Ms Al-Zayyat when she read her novel and couldn’t find any archive about her.

Ms Mersal felt that the writer, who explored the role of women in the 50s and 60s, had been forgotten and excluded from Arab literature.

She first started by interviewing Ms Al-Zayyat’s close friends in the arts industry.

Ms Mersal says that there is a need to explore more into the past and give voice to works that have been excluded.

She says the award will motivate her to keep writing.

“It is really significant for me as readership and attention are nice when you are a writer,” she says.