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The Yacoubian Building

by Alaa Al Aswany

3.54 · rating details · 3,399 ratings · 469 reviews

This controversial bestselling novel in the Arab world reveals the political corruption, sexual repression, religious extremism, and modern hopes of Egypt today.

All manner of flawed and fragile humanity reside in the Yacoubian Building, a once-elegant temple of Art Deco splendor now slowly decaying in the smog and bustle of downtown Cairo: a fading aristocrat and self-p

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Paperback, 256 pages

Published August 1st 2006 by Harper Perennial (first published 2004)

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Aug 25, 2008

Tyler rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Those trying to make sense of the Middle East

Recommended to Tyler by: _An Egyptian

Narrators tell stories; protagonists tell them; characters in novels do, too. But in The Yacoubian Building, an apartment complex on a downtown street tells the story of a whole nation. This ten-story structure, I found, has a lot to say.

The building doesn't talk, of course, but it shelters the many people whose lives the book recounts. Brought together only by their place of residence, these very different people are, by the end, brought together in a second way, by the common exp...moreNarrators tell stories; protagonists tell them; characters in novels do, too. But in The Yacoubian Building, an apartment complex on a downtown street tells the story of a whole nation. This ten-story structure, I found, has a lot to say.

The building doesn't talk, of course, but it shelters the many people whose lives the book recounts. Brought together only by their place of residence, these very different people are, by the end, brought together in a second way, by the common experience of life in modern Egypt.

Just what it's like to live in Egypt is the real story. No number of articles about the Middle East can convey a feeling, so instead of telling us directly, the author paints a picture, a mosaic with a gestalt to it that makes the whole picture of Egypt suddenly pop into view. This shocking image is ... a sight.

The character sketches at the start of the book give readers a glimpse of the daily lives and passions of the denizens of the building, who represent every class of society. As they go about their lives, the latter portion of the narrative shows them stumbling into a world bearing a sordid resemblance to something George Orwell might have concocted.

In this world, it goes without saying that merit is seldom rewarded. Money, not law, makes things happen, even bad things. People wake up at night to find the police in their living rooms -- or maybe thugs hired by some rich man. Anyone can end up in a police station at any time, some never again to be seen. Torture, brutality, beatings and weird, weird sexism constitute everyday hazards.

The story of the building itself, told mainly through the eyes of a long-time resident, stands as a proxy for the bittersweet change that has swept over Egypt in the past two generations. This book hints at the actual sources of Egypt's current problems; in reality, people dare not discuss them openly.

Curiously, the book cannot be said to have an entirely negative feel. Egyptians simply don't have it in them to collapse into a Russian-style pessimism. In the book's moral I found its power: The narrative conveys not one, but many messages about the state of Egyptian society. In each you can find yourself saying, "So what has become obvious is ..." The book allows you to think about many things as you read.

Readers will like the artful approach the author employs, as the choice of a building to tell the story implies. Al-Aswany relates his characters with a confidential tone, as if he were in a private conversation with us. His candid remarks about each character tell us everything we need to know about the character without saying too much. The story neither droops into sentimentality nor takes a desultory turn. The writing is clean and efficient, with the right things said at the right time using no extra words.

The stories themselves are enough to stagger the senses, considering the society from which they emerge. The book has been a bestseller in Egypt, its subject matter so controversial that people never run out of things to say about it.

I rate this a four -- I really like it. If it were a little longer, I'd give it a five because it's that good. I highly recommend The Yacoubian Building for anyone who likes good literature, and for Westerners in search of realistic insight into the question, "What on earth is going on over there?"
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Jul 27, 2009

okyrhoe rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: bookcrossing, egypt, north-africa

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I enjoyed reading The Yacoubian Building but I can't resist analyzing its weaknesses.

The premise of The Yacoubian Building is a credible one. I did not sense that the setting of the story, the placement of a varied selection of individuals in close proximity with one another, all residents in one building is merely fictional license*. The novel is a frank & representative depiction of contemporary Egyptian urban settings, with enough historical and cultural background to explain the ...moreI enjoyed reading The Yacoubian Building but I can't resist analyzing its weaknesses.

The premise of The Yacoubian Building is a credible one. I did not sense that the setting of the story, the placement of a varied selection of individuals in close proximity with one another, all residents in one building is merely fictional license*. The novel is a frank & representative depiction of contemporary Egyptian urban settings, with enough historical and cultural background to explain the finer details of each character’s history and motivations.
Yet there is something missing in this tapestry. In this group portrait, the intertwining of the separate threads, although executed in vibrant and expressive strokes, seems to have been drawn at the expense of any depth of focus. There is no clear primary character, nor a central question that is developed to a sufficiently complex degree to make this a novel of substance where the reader can either empathize with a character or be intrigued by a theme that develops as the story progresses.
There’s a lack of originality in terms of authorial persepctive/intention, and the closing scenes of each character’s subplot don’t quite follow from what precedes them, so that ultimately the characters are reduced to moralistic/symbolic entities rather than multidimensional personalities. The characters begin their tales interestingly enough, but ultimately their respective closures appear forced, as if there is only one way their story could end, as if they are conforming to convention (even if the convention is a fictive one).
In the case of Busayna, with regard to her financial concerns, it would seem to me that she would be more likely to take a more practical route, rather than resort to the ‘honorable’ solution (marriage) to her existential dilemma. In terms of character development Busayna’s and Zaki’s pairing doesn’t follow through from their prior behavior or motivations. The union of old (age as well as tradition) with the new/young is schematic rather than realistic, a compromise rather than a progression.
Similarly, Abduh’s and Hatim’s climactic confrontation contextually does not add up, given the way their relationship was presented so far. Hatim’s outbursts seem far beneath his prior composure and generosity, esp. after all that he’s done for Abduh. The decline of Hatim’s behavior is a throwback to East Mediterranean cultural cliches of several decades ago – as with the overall nostalgia of the novel for an Egypt which no longer exists - when popular culture mandated that sexual transgression is a force that ultimately implodes upon itself.
Granted, Al Aswany pushes the limits, within the scope of Egyptian cultural realities, by presenting Abduh & Hatim’s relationship in explicit terms, and by giving that relationship equal time and exposure in relation to the other parallel plots of the novel. Yet the conclusion is color-by-numbers what is expected within the reality of a society still in the process of evolving from feudal/patriarchal behavioral motivations to contemporary standards. I cannot fully comprehend El Aswany’s point, in terms of any possible socio-political commentary there might be in this anachronism.

As a critique of contemporary Arab society where ‘men’ regardless of position and background, no longer operate according to the spirit of patriarchal codes of conduct I feel that the novel is incomplete. All sense of justice, faith, honor, respect seems to have decayed into crass abuse of the system which gives them power. The social confusion over these social values is most evident when the youthful Taha, whose male honor has been violated, seeks redress in an unmanly & dishonorable way. But I venture that it's only the non-Arab reader who sees this, for according to the tribal traditions, both Abduh and Taha have cleansed themselves of dishonor by avenging their respective oppressors. On the other hand, for the women there is no apparent redress, as in the example of Busayna when her honor is violated (the public humiliation at being arrested for 'prostitution') - is her restitution only possible through marriage?

It appears that Al Aswany has nothing new to say regarding the juxtaposition between the strict moral codes women must still (appear to) adhere to, an anachronistic tradition that persists despite a governing system proclaiming itself as modern, democratic, socialist, etc. We observe members of the political system and the religious administration as men who unashamedly foregoes ideological principles when it is convenient to their shortterm aims – the sheikh agreeing to convince Souad to have an abortion when pressured by his longtime financial benefactor, and when men enter politics only for the purpose of securing financial success through extortion and bribery, also when radical religious leaders force a young recruit to a marriage with a “martyr’s” widow, even as they are planning the young man’s own martyrdom, and condemning the bride to a second round of widowhood. Even she, the martyr’s widow that Taha is set up with in the Brotherhood training camp, is regressing into patriarchal/feudal traditions since she believes progress & change is possible only by a return of the old codes of honor.

Does Al Aswany conclude that the situation cannot be rectified when the men resisting it are themselves oppressors of men as well as women? I’m not sure that it can be interpreted with conviction. In this respect, I felt the novel is incomplete, that whatever lasting message the novel intended to convey has been left unsaid. (less)

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Feb 09, 2009

Shams Eddeen شمس الدين . rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: روايات

لقد سمعت ما قيل عن هذه الرواية و لذلك لم اجازف و ادفع فيها مليم و استلفتها من صديقة لي

هذه الرواية لم تعجبني باي حال من الاحوال فتصوير المأسي شئ فطري في شعبنا الذي يعشق النكد و عمل وظيفة اسمها المعددة كي تندب الموتي !!!

و اري ان هذه القصة - كغيرها - لا يوجد بها اي ابداع و هو اختار نوع رخيص جدا من الادب و هو الادب الاباحي ان جاز التعبير ,فكمية الاسفاف في وصف مفاتن المراة قد فاقت الحدود المحترمة و لا اعتقد ان الفن يبرر الاسفاف

و لولا انه اقحم هذه التحبيشة الاباح...more

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Mar 17, 2008

Nojood rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: arabic-books, fiction

لا أعلم لم كلما كانت رواية ما مدججة بالجنس تأخذ الصدارة في عالمناالعربي. ما زلت أود التخلص من النسخة "القابعة" على رف
مكتبي. قالوا عنها و قالوا و لم أجد بها سوى عالم منحط تترفع عنه الأسر المصرية

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Apr 01, 2008

Huda Felimban rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: arabic-books

عن أنس -رضي الله عنه-قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم": "ماكان الفحش في شيء إلا شانه، وماكان الحياء في شيء إلا زانه"

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May 09, 2010

Fatima K. Alhabeeb rated it

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Shelves: 2008

بحماس من سمع أن الرواية "أعادت العرب إلى القراءة" وبلهفة من أذهلته استخدام أكبر ميزانية في تاريخ السينما المصرية لعمل فلم مقتبس منها بدأت قراءاتها , وياللصدمة ! بغض النظر عن الأحداث والاشخاص أود أن أتساءل:
كيف يطلق على من لغته بهذه الركاكة والضعف اسم "كاتب"؟
أمر جد مؤلم !
إذا غضضنا النظر عن اللغة لا أجد الكثير في الرواية, استفدت منها الكثير من المعلومات عن تاريخ مصر مرحلة ماقبل الثورة وبعدها وأعجبتني بعض الحوارات -العامية بالطبع!- بين أبطال الرواية خصوصاً ذاك ا...more

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Nov 21, 2008

Mohamed Ramadan added it · review of another edition

أنهيت قراءة عمارة يعقوبيان وقد إستمتعت بها أيما إستمتاع وهذه خواطري حولها بدون ترتيب :
الفكرة رائعه عدة خطوط متوازية متباينة يربطها مكان واحد هو العمارة
أعجبت كثيرا بحيادية الكاتب فهو لا يحاكم أحدا فقط يعرض أفكاره وحياته حتى مع أحط الأفكار (كالشذوذ) وأخطرها (كالتطرف)
عندما يتحدث عن الشذوذ تخاله شاذا وعندما يتحدث عن المتطرفين تخاله متطرفا , قمة الحرفية والإبداع
المؤلف أظهر تباين وتهالك المجتمع المصري على كل مستوياته وإن كان لم يتعرض في أحد خطوطه إلى الطبقة الوسطى التى إعتراه...more

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Jul 05, 2007

stephen rated it

excellent long long sentences. colorful group of personages rendered as if balzac had never happened. which is not in itself a bad thing. it's just that balzac did happen and so doing straight descriptive work with reference to the social world seems, well, one-dimensional. there is enjoyable one-dimensional and not enjoyable one-dimensional: this is mostly in the former category if you pay exclusive attention to the male characters. the women do not fare so well. nonetheless i would recom...more

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May 06, 2009

خالد العشرى rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: الأفضل

الراوية الاكثر مبيعا و شهرة فى التسعينيات فى مصر ....الشهرة زادت طبعا مع تحويلها لفيلم الذى أراه خطأ فى حق الراوية بتعديلات السيناريو..زعلى اىحال الرواية ممتعة حقا و تعطى تشريحا لبعض النماذج الاجتماعية فى مصر من خلال تطور حيوات سكان العمارة ...فقط يؤخذ الحذر لسن القارئ لان بها وصف جنسى قوى

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Jan 27, 2009

Meka rated it

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Shelves: علاء-الأسوانى

إختلفت الآراء عن تلك الرواية ، وفى نظرى يأتى هذا الإختلاف نتيجة تناول القصة لعدة جوانب إجتماعية يصعب التحدث فيها أو مناقشتها ، فنحن كثيرا ما نفضل غض الطرف عن المشاكل بدلا من تناولها ومحاوله إيجاد حلولا لها.

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Oct 01, 2008

Azza rated it

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لم اندم فى حياتى على مال قدر ندمى على الثلاثين جنيها التى دفعتها فى هذه الرواية

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Mar 23, 2008

Emtethal rated it

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رواية رائعة لولا تحفظي على بعض الاجزاء الجريئة والدكتور علاء روائي متميز

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Jun 28, 2009

Ahmed Abdelaziz rated it

· review of another edition

رواية جميلة جدا ..

تطرح مافعله الظباط الاحرار بمصر ..

من خلال تشبيه مصر بعمارة يعقوبيان ..

والتي تتشابه مع مصر بانها كانت متساوية الطبقات الاجتماعية

و جمالها الخارجي والداخلي .. وكيف انها احتوت بين ضلوعها

المصريين والاجانب واليهود والارمن ..

وكيف ان بعد ما وقعت الثورة .. خلت من الاجانب الهاربين

و انتشر فيها الضباط

والتي فسدت بهم العمارة ومصر ..

واتغيرت التركيبة السكانية والاجتماعية للاسوأ ..

وغاد...more

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Apr 19, 2010

Ahmed Salem rated it

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Recommended to Ahmed by: Ahmed el Shaer

Shelves: 2006, favorites

من الصفحة الأولى تجذبك شخصيات الأسواني المرسومة بدقة وتفاصيلها الغنية. الشخصيات على تنوع اصولها و آرائها في الحياة الا انه يجمع بينهم مكان و احد و هو العمارة, عمارة يعقوبيان.

خلال احداث القصة سوف تعرف ان العمارة كانت آية في الهندسة والابداع في منطقة وسط البلد و التي في مع بعد مع مرور الزمن و الأحداث السياسية و الاجتماعية المتعاقبة على مصر, اصابها هي و سكانها الجدد و القدامى نفس التشوهات التي اصابة البلد كلها.

الروايه و الاحداث غاية في الابداع و تأخذك الى عالم وسط البلد الفر...more

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Oct 11, 2008

A. rated it

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Shelves: كتب-عربية

The writer has the ability to steal the reader and race him with his lines. He keeps firm grip on the reader's mind...even when you leave the book you keep thinking about the events and when will you go back to read more. You can live easily inside his story lines.

I have not seen the movie but I've seen some of the tv episodes, and i think the book is much much more exciting.

I'm thinking of buying the English version to compare it with the original Arab...more

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Feb 05, 2009

Hagar rated it

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It was ok! Ok..he's got some style in writing..but he adores employing the sex motif...in such a disgusting way! Even such issues can be tackled gracefully...not in such manners! Plus, this is not a true mirror of the Egyptian society and its malaise..yes I agree that the societal diseases are symbolised in the pervert sexual acts whether : banned sex, pervert spouses, homosexuality, whores, rape... but still..what I argue for..does that novel deserve to be Egypt's modern portrayal all over the ...more

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Apr 11, 2009

Sandra Hernandez rated it

The story was interesting as every day life, and I do not say that sarcastically. It is always interesting to read about a different culture however, I have no form of knowing its accuracy.

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Oct 18, 2009

Harriett rated it

Boy. This is tough going. The writing is brilliant. The story is so dispiriting I had trouble divorcing it from my overall impression of the book. I was so depressed when I finished it despite the lyrical brilliance that is Alaa al-Aswany.

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Feb 07, 2012

Osama Abdelghany rated it

· review of another edition

انا شفت الفيلم الاول وبعد كده قرأت الروايه
الفيلم صدمني جدا زي ما كان صدمه لكل مصر
لكن عاده الصدمه والانكار يتتبعهم القبول بالامر الواقع
يعني كنت رافض الفيلم لكن عجبني بعد ذلك لان هذه هى الحقيقه شئت ام ابيت
الروايه مختلفه عن الفيلم فى بعض تفاصيل عادل امام فى الفيلم مش زي الروايه خالص اختلاف مظهري وجوهري
انا معترض على مشهد فى الروايه هو معالج فى الفيلم بشكل افضل كثيرا كثيرا واعتقد ان المخرج مروان حامد لم يستطع ان يقوم باخراج المشهد كما هو فى الروايه
مشه...more

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Jan 29, 2012

Sallie rated it

Loved it! Amazing, how a book can transform the reader. I haven't been living in Bothell for the past two days: I've been living in Cairo!

The story really got under my skin with characters I very much liked, despite their horrific flaws. Aswany's portrayal of Egyptian attitudes and mind-sets, even though the story is set in 1990, are current enough for some real 'aha' moments for the reader, especially when it comes to Egypt's current events.

Don't worry . . . the book isn't ...more

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Oct 27, 2011

Ismail Elshareef rated it

This is Egypt. Its past of glorified and often lamented early 20th-Century grandeur as well as its present of turbulence and increasing desperation and repressiveness are artfully laid out for the reader to analyze, contemplate and invariably pity in this impressive literary work. This is Egypt that everyone knows well but rather not talk about.

The book captures the collective moral and physical destitution of the post-1970s Egyptian society like no other book has; at least none that ...more

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Jul 12, 2011

Andrea rated it

Shelves: in-translation

I have no capacity to judge this on its relevance or relationship to Egyptian reality, but then authors can only ever offer up one possible vision of 'reality' anyway. I think it is too often the fault of Westerners to go looking for special insights into another culture from a handful of books in translation, demand a few authors represent another tradition but judge them on the basis of our own. Arrogant, some of the English reviews are just arrogant.

For myself, what matters most is...more

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Jul 08, 2011

Kenny rated it

I am grudgingly giving this book 3 stars. The beginning and middle of the book show Al Aswany to be an excellent, if not profound, storyteller and as I approached the final third of the book I found myself delaying sleep to continue reading. The characters are vivid and complex, their stories are compelling and woven together (both with other storylines and with the context, Egpyt in the 1990s) well, and author gives an excellent blend of their inner thoughts and actions. This book is at its ...more

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Jun 20, 2011

David Lentz rated it

I read this novel, received as a Christmas gift, shortly after returning from a business trip in the Mideast. I was moved by its poignant sense of perspective, the elegant beauty of both the writing and the translation and the heart-wrenching grief that I found within its modest number of pages. The words leapt off every page as the tragedies emerged of characters whose chief links among each other had to do with their various and sundry connections to their dwelling place, an old building in Ca...more

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Jan 16, 2011

Nicolas Levy rated it

The Yacoubian Building is a great read for anyone seeking a greater understanding of modern Egyptian society, or any place where people must cope with daily frustration and repression.

Set in the streets of modern-day Cairo, this novel portrays the sometimes intersecting lives of residents of the Yacoubian Building. The building itself serves as a metaphor for the modern Egypt of the story: once grand and exciting, it has decayed over years of neglect. Its residents, in turn, must cope ...moreThe Yacoubian Building is a great read for anyone seeking a greater understanding of modern Egyptian society, or any place where people must cope with daily frustration and repression.

Set in the streets of modern-day Cairo, this novel portrays the sometimes intersecting lives of residents of the Yacoubian Building. The building itself serves as a metaphor for the modern Egypt of the story: once grand and exciting, it has decayed over years of neglect. Its residents, in turn, must cope with political and personal frustrations on a daily basis. Among them is the story of Taha, whose life-long dream of becoming a police officer is crushed due to his low social standing, and who gradually turns to Islamic extremism. Busayna, his girlfriend, turns away from him and bitterly learns that the only way for her to make a living is to satisfy the sexual desires of older, wealthier men. Meanwhile, Hagg Azzam, an ambitious businessman-turned-politician, must learn to navigate the complexities of one-party authoritarian rule. Hatim Rasheed, the independently wealthy editor of the French-language newspaper, searches for love in the city's undercover gay nightlife.

Throughout his thoughtful novel, Alaa al Aswany poignantly weaves each character's story with the frustrations of their society at large. In this manner, he adds depth and colour to a world that is too often misunderstood and caricaturized.

But the Yacoubian Building also offers more than a glimpse of Egyptian society. In exploring how each character responds to the failures and frustrations imposed by external forces, Aswany touches on an aspect of the human condition that is crucial to truly empathizing with one another. While many of the characters take a somewhat predictable, and sometimes larger-than-life turn for the worse, a few characters stand out for their remarkable perseverance in an otherwise hopeless world.

Of particular note is Zaki el Dessouki: an aging aristocrat, he spends his days in his office in the Yacoubian Building, often seducing younger women. As he grows increasingly nostalgic for the more European-influenced Egypt of the past, and increasingly isolated from his remaining family and those around him, he forms a surprising connection that offers a hopeful turn to an otherwise despondent story.

The Yacoubian Building offers a quick and entertaining read for those seeking greater insight into contemporary Egypt, as well as for readers seeking an empathetic exploration of human suffering and resilience.(less)

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Jan 13, 2011

Nathaniel rated it

Al Aswany prefaces his novel by explaining that it is a novel about place, about the Yacoubian Building and what it reveals about Cairo over time. I am pleased to report that this claim is misleading: "The Yacoubian Building" may contain brief forays into the past and various asides about certain establishments and customs; but it is primarily concerned with the nuances of infatuation, courtship and transactional sex in age disparate Cairo relationships.

Three affluent and i...moreAl Aswany prefaces his novel by explaining that it is a novel about place, about the Yacoubian Building and what it reveals about Cairo over time. I am pleased to report that this claim is misleading: "The Yacoubian Building" may contain brief forays into the past and various asides about certain establishments and customs; but it is primarily concerned with the nuances of infatuation, courtship and transactional sex in age disparate Cairo relationships.

Three affluent and independent men (all at least fifty years old and all, conveniently, apartment holders in the Yacoubian Buildnig) create drama by exercising their power to initiate relationships with much younger Egyptians, whether male or female. The novel is pleasantly villain-free; though there are plenty of misled, meddling and ill-intentioned characters.

"The Yacoubian Building" is interspersed with Al Aswany's contribution to the "What makes them do it?" sub-genre of humanizing jihadists. This sub-plot, while slightly predictable and a little grim, is balanced, detailed and not particularly manipulative. The only other young man in the novel (who doesn't want to shoot the infidels) is a poor Nubian with wife and child who serves to illustrate the vaguely tragic plight of sensitive and cultured Cairo homosexuals. Al Aswany deals with gayness in Egypt in an unabashed and almost affectionate way, going out of his way to explain how the larger community adapts to the presence of homosexuals in their midst.

The whole composition works quiet well and is propelled by a series of creative and comical power grabs and sexual stratagems set against the struggle between secularists and fundamentalists, wealthy power holders and aspirants. Al Aswany's careful attention to the psychology of his characters sustains the novel and prevents it from becoming an overblown parade of stereotypes. His ability to slow down and pinpoint, often with a pleasantly dark humor, the precise motivations and tactics of his characters is what elevates this from story-telling to literature.

For instance, "Right now, in bed with Hagg Azzam, she is playing out a scene--that of the woman who, taken unawares by her husband's virility, surrenders to him so that he may do with her body whatever his extraordinary strength may demand, her eyes closed, panting, and sighing--while in reality she feels nothing except rubbing, just the rubbing of two naked bodies, cold and annoying."

And, "There lay between the two old people all the irritability, impatience and obstinance that go with old age, plus that certain tension that develops when two individuals live in too close a proximity to one another--from using the bathroom for a long time when the other wants it, from one seeing the sullen face the other wears when he wakes from sleeping, from one wanting silence while the other insists on talking, from the mere presence of another person who never leaves you day and night, who stares at you, who interrupts you, who picks on everything you say, and the grating of whose molars when he chews sets you on edge and the ringing noise of whose spoon striking the dishes disturbs your quiet every time he sits down to eat with you."

I find it easier to be patient with an author who is constantly introducing new characters if he will at least take the time to put them forward in such a clear light. I will read Al Aswany's subsequent novel. (And this is definitely one of the two best Arabic language novels that I have ever read.)(less)

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Dec 08, 2010

Dave rated it

The Yacoubian Building is an interesting read and the characters are crafted well, very true to life and interesting to observe as they wind their way through this horribly corrupt existence. The building is a microcosm of Cairo, containing the extremely wealthy and very poor but one finds that all of them are prostituting themselves to greater forces in the attempt to escape from their demons. The most intriguing characters were Taha, the picture of integrity, and Busayna, a beautiful maiden tr...more

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Nov 07, 2010

Anastasia Hobbet rated it

Shelves: novel

I'd heard so much about this novel that I expected more--not more in terms of story, because there's lots of meaty story in this book--but more in terms of imagery, lyricism, and in-depth character portrayal. The single character who truly stole my heart is the old swain Zaki Bey al-Dessouki, who reminds me warmly of the endearing and penniless old Prince Yakimov in Olivia Manning's Balkan Trilogy. An Egyptian acquaintance who reads a lot of literature in English and Arabic told me that Egyptian...more

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Mar 20, 2010

Kitty rated it

The Yacoubian Building is a book that crawls under the skin,
boils the blood and makes you wonder about human nature.
By starting the story with Taha and Busayna, both of whom so filled with hope, both of whom seem young, able to love, followed by the mosaic of Cairene life with the other people in the building, the cruel twists which transform them make you realize there is always a story behind a character which humanizes -- no matter how awful the situation. No matter ...more

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Nov 09, 2009

Carolyn Chandler rated it

I really enjoyed this! I read it shortly after being in Cairo and wish I had read it beforehand so I had some interesting context on the political and social intricacies of Egyptian life. My only criticism is that the end seemed somewhat abrupt, but I think that was a combination of wanting to find out more about the characters, and that the book ends with a (very helpful) glossary of terms for those unfamiliar with Muslim or Egyptian references - this made me think I had several pages left.
...more

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About Alaa Al Aswany

Alaa al-Aswany (Arabic: علاء الأسواني‎), Egyptian Arabic (Masri) "علاء الاسوانى" (born 1957) is an Egyptian writer, and a founding member of the political movement Kefaya.

Trained as a dentist in Egypt and Chicago, it took him 9 years to earn his degree from Chicago National University where he spent 17 years in his life, al-Aswany has contributed numerous articles to Egyptian...more

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On the State of Egypt: A Novelist's Provocative Reflections

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