“Alaa Al Aswany is among the best writers in the Middle East
today, a suitable heir to the mantle worn by Naguib Mahfouz, his
great predecessor.” –Jay Parini, The Guardian UK
From one of Egypt’s most acclaimed novelists, here is a vivid
chronicle of Egyptian society, with penetrating analysis of all the
most urgent issues—economic stagnation, police brutality, poverty,
the harassment of women and of the Christian minority, to name a
few—that led to the stunning overthrow of the Mubarak government.
Al-Aswany addresses himself to all the questions being asked within
Egypt and beyond: who will be the next president, and how will he
be chosen in a land where heretofore only simpletons, opportunists
and stooges involved themselves with elections? What role will the
Muslim Brotherhood play? How can democratic reforms be effected
among a people used to such contradictions as the religiously
observant policeman who commits torture? In a candid and
controversial assessment of both the potential and limitations that
will determine his country’s future, Al-Aswany reveals why the
revolt that surprised the world was destined to happen.
“[The] star of a new generation of Egyptian novelists.” –The
Independent UK