Abdul Rahman Guards the Bridge

by Ellen Larson

The life story of a simple man who guards a bridge in a suburb of Cairo, Egypt. The canal which the bridge once spanned has long since been filled in, but this matters little in a town steeped in ritual, where change occurs as slowly as Egypt's ancient monuments are weathered by the sand.

Nook

First published October 26, 2010

Reviews

[Susan Larson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this story a while back and it has stuck with me. Its sympathy for the title character is touching. I for one am not bothered by the question of a western person writing about a life in the middle east. I have managed to read Kipling, Coetzee, Clavell and Paul Scott without getting worked up over this issue. Ellen lived for many years in Egypt and she also takes people as they come, so read this and see for yourself.