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The Book of Cairo
The Book of Cairo: A City in Short Fiction | Ahmed Naji, Hassan Abdel Mawgoud, Eman Abdelrahim, Nael Eltoukhy, Areej Gamal, Hatem Hafez, Hend Ja'far, Nahla Karam, Mohamed Kheir, Mohamed Salah al-Azab
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A corrupt police officer trawls the streets of Cairo on the most important assignment of his career: the answer to the truth of all existence A young journalist struggles over the obituary of a nightclub dancer A man slowly loses his mind in one of the citys new desert developments.. There is a saying that, whoever you are, if you come to Cairo you will find a hundred people just like you. For over a thousand years, the city on the banks of the Nile has welcomed travellers from around the world. But in recent years Cairo has also been a stage for expressions of short-lived hope, political disappointments and a violent repression that can barely be written about. These ten short stories showcase some of the most exciting, emerging voices in Egypt, guiding us through one of the worlds largest and most historic cities as it is today from its slums to its villas, its bars and its balconies, through its infamous traffic. Appearing in English for the first time, these stories evoke the sadness and loss of the modern city, as well as its humour and beauty. Translated by Adam Talib, Raphael Cohen, Basma Ghalayini, Thoraya El-Rayyes, Raph Cormack, Andrew Leber, Ruth Ahmedzai Kemp, Elisabeth Jaquette, Kareem James Abu-Zeid & Yasmine Seale.
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rockpools
The Book of Cairo: A City in Short Fiction | Ahmed Naji, Hassan Abdel Mawgoud, Eman Abdelrahim, Nael Eltoukhy, Areej Gamal, Hatem Hafez, Hend Ja'far, Nahla Karam, Mohamed Kheir, Mohamed Salah al-Azab
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Mehso-so

A collection of stories from modern-day Cairo. As with any collection, a mixed bag, and as a UK reader I didn‘t always understand what they were driving at. The blurb describes the stories as ‘tentative glimpses...[as] writing directly about Egypt‘s challenges is often too dangerous‘.

Gridlock (the lives of characters stuck in traffic) and ‘An alternative guide to getting lost‘ (ghostly bureaucracy & trying to leave) were the standouts to me.

rockpools One of the stories is titled ‘Whine‘ so there‘s my #Booked2020 #WhineOrWine Only 3 more to go! @4thhouseontheleft @BarbaraTheBibliophage @Cinfhen 3y
Velvetfur That book sounds so good! Stacked 👍🏻 3y
rockpools @Velvetfur If you‘d like it, I can post it to you? Email me I need to do a post office run for Mum sometime in the next week or two, & it‘s a v slim book! (edited) 3y
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charl08 I thought it was a great collection: holding out for book 2 (if they can do it with other cities, why not Cairo?). Also tempted by 3y
squirrelbrain Keep on ticking off those challenges! 3y
Cinfhen Woohoo!!! Well played and lovely photo 🥳 3y
Velvetfur @rockpools Oh that's so kind of you, thank you! I'll email you now 🙂 3y
BarbaraTheBibliophage Perfect answer to the prompt! 👏🏻📚♥️ 3y
rockpools @Velvetfur Thanks for your email Vikki - hope to get it in the post by the weekend 😊 3y
Velvetfur @rockpools Aw thank you 💜 3y
68 likes10 comments
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CaroPi
The Book of Cairo: A City in Short Fiction | Ahmed Naji, Hassan Abdel Mawgoud, Eman Abdelrahim, Nael Eltoukhy, Areej Gamal, Hatem Hafez, Hend Ja'far, Nahla Karam, Mohamed Kheir, Mohamed Salah al-Azab
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Is getting cold... So is the best time to have some Ramen while reading 😊

PandaPanda That looks amazing! 3y
paper.reveries Omggg you make me want ramen so bad right now! 3y
CaroPi @PandaPanda @daisyheadmaesie It was really good!!! Also I am helping restaurants during our seconds wave. A good excuse to not be cooking 😜 (edited) 3y
PandaPanda Haha @CaroPi I also make that same excuse at least 2 or 3 times a week! 3y
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