Off the shelf

On our shelves, desks and in our bags there is a constant flow of articles, novels, specialist literature and films that concern our competence and passion. In this section we share our latest reading experiences.

Chicago - modern Egypt through the eyes of the exiles

In ”The Yacoubian Building” Alaa al Aswany depicted Egyptian recent history and current problems by telling the stories of the people living in the flats and roof shacks of a (fictive) seven storied building in downtown Cairo.

In his new book “Chicago”, al Aswany goes abroad, but sticks to his clever way of discussing the situation in Egypt by weaving a colourful tapestry of personal stories, in this case the stories of a good dozen of Egyptians living in Chicago. Under the pressure of post-9/11 xenophobia, homesickness, oppressive traditions, academic machinations, family problems and the control from an Egyptian government agent, many of the protagonists meet disillusionment or personal disaster. But al Aswany also reveals that he has a soft spot for the goodhearted and humble.

Although critical in his description of Egypt, the author once again succeeds in strengthening the western readers’ understanding of and sympathy for the people of the Nile.