Book Review

Book Review: The Idol (الصنم) by Mohamed Alaa El Din: A triumph of style over substance, Mohamed Alaa El Din's short novella The Idol (الصنم) is an acquired taste. The story is thin, the book is very short (under 60 pages), and the overall atmosphere dream-like. But the writing is lush, the descriptive passages drip with atmosphere, and the story, however thin, is strange and hypnotically told. The story revolves around the relationship between an oracle/mystic and his young son, who travel from one place to another, seemingly running from something. Along the way the father works as a fortune-teller and spellcaster, and, slowly, we discover that he is both feared by many and afraid of something that's haunting him and his son. Meanwhile, the son has terrifying visions that involve a mysterious man thwarting him and tides of blood washing over him. The boy feels that all his and his father's troubles are somehow linked to a family heirloom that they take with them wherever they go: an idol of a one-eyed man.

Yes. The story is indeed bizarre. But Alaa El Din sure knows how to cast a spell, as his style is fluid and unique, and his characters memorable. And the ambiguous, frightening ending also packs a punch. This is a stylistically daring novel, and one which haunts the reader days after he/she has finished it.

* Available from El-Ain Publishing.

Book Review

Book Review: Peek-A-Boo and other stories (بيكا - بوو و قصص أخرى) by Ehab Medhat: With its inane title and Japanese-Horror-Style cover artwork, you could mistake this collection of stories for cheap entertainment. Well, it isn't. Peek-A-Boo and other stories by Ehab Medhat is a surprisingly effective collection of tales that covers a range of genres.

The collection consists of nine stories, which include: The opening title story - about a young Egyptian woman who adopts a young girl with seemingly paranormal abilities - is a strange choice for an opening tale, since, despite being an effective and occasionally clever allegory for spousal abuse, it's far from being the strongest of the bunch; The President's Guard, a neat psychological suspense tale about a poor young man who - after failing to join the Egyptian Police Academy and fulfill his dream of becoming one of the President's personal bodyguards - comes undone and plots to have his moment of glory, anyway he can; I saw The Devil, an intriguing tale about child abuse and the dark side of humanity, which succeeds in being grimly unnerving; The Ring Of No Laws, a disturbing, clever story, which seemingly is about a weird wrestling match between a man and a woman, but which turns out to be something else entirely; I Didn't Kill My Wife, my personal favorite, a strange, atmospheric crime tale about police brutality, psychosis, the nature of love, and much more. It is a sprawling, ambitious tale, that, alone, justifies buying this collection and proves that Ehab Medhat is a talent to watch.

But that doesn't mean the collection is devoid of duff stories. Far from it. A Matter Of Principle, about a psychiatrist who suspects his wife of infidelity, is a self-indulgent exercise in cliched atmospherics. The Security Guard is a bland tale that thinks itself much cleverer than it really is. While 'Ar'Ar's Daughter, about a poor girl who wishes to grow up to become a pediatrician, is a pretentious little tale that goes nowhere. Medhat also makes the questionable choice of closing his collection with The Old Man And The Shovel, an ambiguous horror story that ends with a cliffhanger!

Throughout the collection one gets the feeling that Medhat is a talented and imaginative writer who is cutting his teeth on these stories. The quality of the stories waver, but the craftsmanship is always there, even when the plots leave something to be desired. But his true accomplishment lies in succeeding in bringing the Egyptian suspense tale screaming into the 21st century. His characters, for the most part, feel modern and like they live in the real world. And his references to popular Arabic TV channels and other pop-culture markers make his stories unabashedly populist in nature (much like Stephen King, whom Medhat quotes on the very first page of the collection, and who was one of the first horror writers in history to make his characters continuously reference pop-culture and thus ground his stories in the real world).

While it has its share of weak stories, this is an entertaining collection from an Egyptian writer who doesn't shy away from wearing his influences on his sleeves (which, arguably, include Stephen King and other popular horror and suspense writers), and who isn't afraid to experiment with different styles and forms; something which makes him a versatile and somewhat daring Egyptian author. I for one am looking forward to watching him grow as a writer.

* Visit the author's official website for more info about the book and where to buy.

English-Language Fiction from Egypt

I have noticed that there aren't many websites and magazines that discuss English-Language Fiction from Egypt (original, not translated). So I decided to conduct a little research of my own, and came up with this list, which, hopefully, is a complete list of all Original English-Language Fiction published in Egypt. Here goes:

The Years Of Silence by Marwa Ayad: A contemporary tale of spousal abuse and the search for love, by young Egyptian author Marwa Ayad. This is her first and only book (s0 far), and it has garnered some positive reviews, and, according to the author, has achieved good sales as well. Published by Malamih Publishing House. Click here for the book's official website.

Velo by Amr Khaled: A book about being young and lost in contemporary Egypt. The tale is laced with strange images and philosophical interludes. According to some online sources, the book was a bestseller in Egypt for a short time. Click here for the author's website. Published by Malamih Publishing House.

29! by Yasmine Adel Refaat: A collection of short stories encompassing a range of genres, all deeply rooted in psychology. Published by Malamih Publishing House.





When The Honeymoon Is Over by May Taher: A collection of sixteen short stories revolving around romantic relationships in contemporary Egypt. The book, published by Shabab Books, is the most expensive of all the titles listed here, with a retail price of 110 L.E, and is published in Hard Cover, unlike all the other releases which were published in Paperback. Online buzz and reviews haven't been kind to this collection. Visit the author's Facebook page here.

The Lord Of Illusions by Amr Shehata: A novel. Published by Shabab Books. Here is an excerpt from the official synopsis: "Dr. Galal Daggal – an Egyptian scientist and billionaire invents and sells a pill which when consumed, activates the human subconscious mind allowing people to dream whatever they desire while asleep. People dreamt they were rich. People dreamt they were married. People dreamt their deceased family members were still alive. People's dreams were limitless.

Is this the ultimate solution to bringing the long-lost happiness to the suppressed Egyptian people and causing general stability to the country? Or is it only the brink of something worse? "

* Thanks to author Mahmoud Mansi for the heads up about the book.

A Journey From Darkness To Light by Mahmoud Mansi: Arguably, the most ambitious (and longest) of all the novels listed here, this strange, genre-bending novel is part fantasy, part philosophy and part adventure story. Its author, Mahmoud Mansi, previously published this novel in Alexandria (his home city) as a limited-edition. Now he's re-published it in a deluxe paperback edition, which is printed by Author House, one of the most popular self-publishers in the US and the UK. The novel is available to buy from Souq.com, and for international readers, from Amazon. Click here for the author's blog.








Melancholia by Basil Fateen: Released in 2010 by Shabab Books.

I couldn't find much information about this novel and its author, but here is some of the text posted by the author, Basil Fateen, on the book's official Facebook page: "So yeah...I wrote a novel. About a year ago. And now...finally...after months of waiting around, wandering the streets aimlessly all day and then crying myself to sleep every night...it's coming out. And I hope that you go buy it and enjoy it. But at the very least buy it, you don't have to enjoy it. We've manufactured the book in such a way that it can also be used for various functions around the house; to keep a short leg on a table level, to throw at a spouse during an argument, and even for erotic pleasure (somehow). So my point is...buy it. Or I might not be able to afford the life-saving operation for my three legged puppy. Seriously. You don't want that on your conscience. But I do hope you enjoy it..."

Check out the book's official Facebook page for more info on the book and where to buy it.
There is also a short film made by author, featuring one of the characters from the book.

And, there is my novel, Beware The Stranger, published by Al-Hadara Publishing. It's a Young-Adult thriller, set in Cairo, Egypt, featuring vampires, monsters, sorcerers, and much more. It's available from these local bookstores, and, for international readers, from Amazon Kindle.

If you know about any other Egyptian English-Language books (fiction only) that aren't listed here, please send me an email. Thanks.

Book Reviews

Book Review: The Rainbow Dance (رقصة قوس قزح) by Sherif Meleika: I previously reviewed Sherif Meleika's novel, Soloman's Ring (خاتم سليمان), which I found to be a revelation; a stylish, engrossing, original historical Egyptian novel that defies categorization. Well, Meleika's new novel, The Rainbow Dance (رقصة قوس قزح), also is a novel that is hard to categorize, and one which cements Meleika's position as one of Egypt's most important novelists. This is a beautifully written, deeply touching, and boldly dark piece of work.

The novel revolves around a group of Egyptian immigrants living in America (including Mourad, a former Judge, and his wife; Ashraf, a doctor who suffers from clinical depression; Magdy, an extremist young Muslim man; and Labib, a disturbed, sexually perverted musician) who all share a terrible memory: The memory of the 4th of July celebration where they all gathered and on which something terrible happened to Magdy's daughter. The novel is divided into seven parts (and an epilogue), each part focusing on the statement of one of the characters regarding what happened on that fateful day. Each part is represented by a different rainbow color which reflects the mood and/or psyche of each narrator.

Meleika really stretches his narrative muscles here, smoothly shifting from one voice to another to show us each character's take on what happened that day. Each character is meticulously drawn, so that you really get to know each of these deeply damaged, complex people. From Ashraf, who suffers from clinical depression, and whose sarcastic yet touching tone is compelling and haunting, to Mourad, whose guilt-laden, grief-ravaged thoughts are deeply affecting, to Salwa, the sexually-frigid wife, whose bitter, sad musings are moving and disturbing, these are characters that feel real, their thoughts ringing true. Also, the novel, bravely, deals with topics that most Egyptian authors are either too self-censoring or too coy to deal with; like Egyptians' and Arab's double-standards when it comes to the U.S. (for example: we loathe their sexual freedom and their lifestyle, yet, secretly, we covet and admire those very same things); homosexual Egyptian youths and - due to a repressed and oppressive society - how confused and guilt-laden they are; and, most importantly, how it really is to be an Egyptian immigrant in the U.S. (both the good and the bad). Meleika tackles all these issues with panache, wit, intelligence, and an unflinching eye; as this is a dark novel, filled with pain, loss and uncomfortable truths. But it is also compelling, wonderfully written, and filled to the brim with memorable characters and sharp dialogue.

Although the central premise is somewhat implausible (the characters too readily agree to share, with a friend, their most intimate thoughts regarding a tragic event), this is a minor caveat, since this is a fascinating, thought-provoking, challenging story about a group of flawed, damaged people, struggling with the darkest aspects of what it means to be human. A must read.

* Available from Al-Hadara Publishing.

Book Review: The Widow Writes Letters In Secret (الأرملة تكتب الخطابات سرا) by Tareq Imam: Tareq Imam's third novel is, in my humble opinion, his most accomplished piece of long fiction. Although, from day one, his unique style and grasp of imagery were strongly evident, The Widow Writes Letters in Secret, is a step forward in terms of narrative skills and literary accomplishment. Why, you ask? The answer is simple: With this novel, and for the first time in his already accomplished career as a writer, Imam manages to imbue his stylish imagery and hallucinatory plots with something new: Affection for his characters.

The story - about an old widow (Malak) who returns to her native town for the first time in decades after her husband's death, and who tries to fill the emotional void in her life by writing romantic letters on behalf of her teenage students, whom she tutors, so that they can present them, as their own, to their lovers - is intriguing, and as told by Imam's unique style, highly atmospheric. Add the wandering ghost of Malak's husband and a mysterious letter which the widow wakes up one night to find plastered to the flesh of her thigh, and you get a wildly original, Gothic tale that is hard to put down once you start reading it. But what's really surprising here is how touching the story is. Despite its short length (the novella is 79 pages long), Imam manages to flesh out his characters, especially the widow, Malak, who is a tragic, sad character, perpetually mourning the loss of her youth and her first love. But despite her sadness and her age, there is a romantic fire that burns within her, whose heat we can feel and empathize with as the story moves along. Also, the relationship between the widow and the nun who lives across the street from her, is a touching interlude, brilliantly written, and a considerable achievement, considering that it only takes Imam a handful of pages to create such a vivid, memorable rapport between these two characters. Imam, as always, also has something to say about contemporary Egypt, and it isn't pretty, making this not only an entertaining piece of work, but also a multi-layered one.

Although the ambiguous, circular ending is a bit disappointing, this is an original, stylish, memorable piece of work, and another brilliant piece of storytelling by Tarq Imam, one of Egypt's most accomplished contemporary writers. Unmissable.

* Available from Dar Al-Ain.

Double Extra! Special Promotion: For a limited time only, my novel, Beware The Stranger and my feature film, Wingrave, are both available to buy exclusively from Souq.com in limited-edition, signed copies. So if you are a fan of my work, Gothic/Horror, Young Adult Fiction, or Experimental Egyptian Films, follow this link and buy a copy of the film and/or novel. Hopefully, you won't regret it. Click here and here for trailers.

That's it fore me. Till next time, keep browsing those shelves!

Book Review

Book Review: But it's Mozart! (!و لكنه موتسارت) by Lamiaa Mokhtar: Every once in a while you come across a book that takes you by surprise; not necessarily because it's brilliant, but because it's unique and heartfelt. Lamiaa Mokthar's play, But it's Mozart!, took me by surprise, for several reasons. Firstly, it's a play about the almost mythic rivalry between Mozart and Salieri, and it's written by an Egyptian woman. That, in itself, is something, considering the current state of Egyptian society. Secondly, the play is so compelling and energetic, that, while reading it, one forgets that the play doesn't cover any new ground regarding the subject matter, which is a testament to Mokthar's storytelling talent. But, to me, the most striking aspect about this play is that despite its brevity, it manages to paint both Mozart and Salieri vividly, really bringing them to life. Mokthar makes this feat look easy, but, really, it isn't.

The rivalry between these two legendary composers (which, to this day, some claim is nothing more than a myth, unsupported by facts) has been the subject of numerous written works, most famous of which are Alexander Pushkin's short drama Mozart and Salieri, and Peter Shaffer's play Amadeus, which was adapted into the Oscar-winning film of the same name. Mokthar borrows liberally from these two works; but she also adds another touch that is, arguably, all her own, which is giving the story an almost mythic feel by adding (in the very first scene of the play) the imaginary character of a gypsy that tells a young Salieri that his life will be ruined by the Sin of Envy. The ending, in which the ghost of Mozart's father appears to Mozart to show him the future, also is a brilliant touch, and one which gives the story and the play a bitter-sweet/fairy-tale like atmosphere.

I, for one, would have paid to see this play performed on the stage. But as a book (which the publisher cleverly formats like a novel for easy reading), this is a compelling, one-sitting read, which, if not quite a must for fans of Mozart, is recommended for readers and theatre-buffs looking for something fresh and heartfelt.

* Available from Dar Oktob.

Book Reviews

Book Review: The Effendi (الأفندى) by Mohamed Nagui: On the surface, Mohamed Nagui's The Effendi looks like another one of those anger-laden books about the corruption eating contemporary Egypt from the inside out. But delve deeper into this wonderfully realized piece of literature, and you discover that this novel offers much more than that. Nagui uses the by now cliched template of the Egyptian young man who snakes his way up using unethical short-cuts and sleight-of-hand, and turns it over its head by writing something closer to a modern fairytale.

The story revolves around Habib-Allah a.k.a The Effendi, an Egyptian young man from a poor family, who after the death of his mother, and realizing that his aging father will not be able to save Habib from a life of poverty, decides to grab any opportunity that comes his way, no matter how shady it is. He starts to deal in US dollars in the Black Market, with the help of a young woman called Nazek, a pathological liar (who believes her mother was a "blessed woman" who spent all her life fighting a person she refers to as "The Fallen", a mythical creature akin to The Devil), and whom, as life goes on, becomes Habib's mistress. From then on, Habib-Allah begins to rise and rise, doing everything from event-organizing for a rich, spoiled young woman from The Gulf, to making deals with embezzlers to buy cheap land and sell it for tons of money, to, finally, becoming a producer of motion pictures, with the help of a pretentious, elitist wanna-be writer called Fayez.

Although Nagui's prose ranges from sublime to serviceable, his storytelling is hypnotic. His characters - many of which are pretty off-kilter - are vividly drawn, and his plotting is good. But it is his grasp of atmosphere and the strangely beautiful mythical interludes about "The Fallen", that make this novel a rich, singular piece of work.

Rich with symbolism and layered with ideas, this thought-provoking, dark novel about hypocrisy, regret, selling your soul for financial gain and social esteem, and people who spend their lives chasing phantoms, deserves to be savored.

* Available from Dar Al-Hilal.

Book Review: The Palm House (بيت النخيل) by Tarek Eltayeb: I previously reviewed Tarek Eltayeb's first novel, Cities Without Palms, and found it to be a stylish if cliched piece of work. It was the work of a novice storyteller who despite his surprising mastery of sheer storytelling momentum, didn't have a lot to say, and whose plotting was average at best.

Not here, though. With The Palm House, which, according to the author, took seven years to complete, Eltayeb proves himself to be one of the most talented storytellers to come out of Egypt and the Arab world.

The novel, which is a sequel to Cities Without Palms, follows Hamza (the protagonist of Cities Without Palms) as he struggles to survive in Vienna, his latest home. Working as a newspaper vendor, and with only a cat as a housemate, Hamza's life is dull, oppressive, and lonely. But all that changes when he meets Sandra, a young Viennese woman who, after knowing that he used to live in a village filled with palm trees, reveals to him that there is a museum in Vienna called The Palm House, which features nothing but real palms. Together, Hamza and Sandra visit The Palm House and, slowly, begin to fall in love. As their love deepens, Sandra asks Hamza to share his life-story with her. And so Hamza, over the course of three years, tells her his story: His life as a young boy living in a secluded Sudanese village, the death of his family, his pilgrimage to Cairo, his travels around the world, and, finally, his landing in Vienna, looking for sanctuary and a new beginning.

First, let's get this out of the way: This is a melodrama. It is a story filled with tribulations, tragedies, adventures, and triumphs of the human spirit, many of which are far-fetched and held together by coincidence. In the hands of a lesser storyteller, this novel would have been boring and implausible. But Eltayeb isn't such a storyteller. He is a hugely talented writer, whose smooth prose, his obvious love of telling tales (including tall ones), his seamless plotting, and his ability to draw realistic, memorable characters, make this one enjoyable journey. And a journey it is! This novel is filled with quests, travels, confrontations, love-affairs, eccentrics, romantics, and tales within tales, which makes it just a tad too long. But Eltayeb's unique style makes it an effortless read that never lags, and never becomes anything but a joy to go through.

It is a testament to Eltayeb's skills as a writer, that even the cliched ending packs an emotional punch and has a strong bitter-sweet feel to it.

This is a marvelous novel about being a stranger in a strange land, and about lonely people trying to find comfort in each other. But, above all, this is a novel about storytelling, its magic, and its power to heal. Unmissable.

* Available from Al-Hadara Publishing.

Book Review

Book Review: Next To A Man I Know (بجوار رجل أعرفه) by Mohamed Fathy: The winner of the 2009 Sawares Award for Best Short Story Collection, Next To A Man I Know by Mohamed Fathy, is one of the most surprising collections of Egyptian short fiction I've come across in a long while, mainly because of author Fathy's unique style of prose and his mastery of storytelling.

This isn't yet another collection of stories by an angry, young Egyptian writer out to scream and yell and protest. That's not to say that Fathy's stories don't touch upon hot-button topics like the rise of the Religious right in Egypt, unemployment, and repressed sexuality. Fathy's stories are sure to rouse some controversy; maybe even a lot of controversy. But Fathy, unlike many of his contemporaries, doesn't take the the easy way out. His stories are, first and foremost, polished, at times meticulously realised, pieces of storytelling, that almost always succeed at being hard-hitting and entertaining. Highlights include the title story, a shocking tale of child abuse, a topic that's rarely touched upon in Egyptian fiction, Playing with Beshoy, a touching portrayal of friendship, with a disturbing final revelation, the darkly humorous A Taxi and a Sacred Ride, a story about a man who rides a taxi with what he thinks is a prostitute, only to get much more than he bargained for, All that's left, a melancholy psychological drama about a regretful young man who works as a mascot at a children's amusement park, and who laments his lost love, and The Window, a story about masturbation and sexual repression.

This is an unmissable collection of stories by an Egyptian writer who is both daring and subtle, and who (with a few exceptions, like in Whiteness and Hussein Whom . . .) almost never relies on histrionics to get his ideas across. And he manages to achieve something that many Egyptian writers seem unable to: Tell a damn good story.