Another book by the author who wrote the great novel, The Yacoubian Building.
This is a collection of short stories.
Al Aswany is a brilliant observer and critic of Egyptian society and politics. Some of the stories are sad, some are bitingly sarcastic and sharp.
He is an interesting observer of social mores of the Middle East - he captures some of the essential differences in social outlook, social patterns and relations. He also has a sharp eye for the power relations of the society and the role of hierarchy, and how it is exploited by those at the top. An interesting read if you have spent much time with people from the middle east - it gives you a sense of what kind of social landscape they have to navigate to accomplish things and be happy.
An interesting glimpse of a society whose asabiya is low (see War and Peace and War entry)
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