Egyptian writer Ahmed Naji’s crime isn't what he wrote – it is that he is alive

Over 600 Egyptian writers have signed a statement in support of the Egyptian author, who is serving a two-year sentence for ‘injuring public modesty’ with his graphic novel, The Use of Life

• Philip Roth, Patti Smith and Woody Allen join protest at jailing of Egyptian writer

Ahmed Naji, 30, is a novelist and wide-ranging essayist. He is part of a group (a movement, maybe) of young artists who work across art forms and borders and are producing the most dynamic and innovative art coming out of Egypt. But, today, Naji is on day 86 of a two-year prison sentence.

The ostensible cause of his jailing is a striking graphic novel, The Use of Life, produced in collaboration with the artist Ayman Zorkani. It is a subtle exploration of the ennui of life in a dystopian city and shows a tremendous knowledge of the history and architecture of Cairo. It is also clearly rooted in classical Arabic literary idiom – including the classics’ straightforward descriptions of body parts and their uses.

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