The Yacoubian Building
I figured I would check out what all the hype was about and I wasn’t disappointed. An excellent look at some of the most notoriously covered up aspects of the modern Egyptian society. Incredibly observant you get the feeling that there is no way one person could have such an intimate understanding of some of the various hushed up aspects of our particular social order; the whore, the homosexual, the politician, the dirty old man, the terrorist and most importantly their proximity both spatially and metaphysically.
My favorite quote? As the rich and ignorant businessman explains to his wife that he is running for Maglis El Shaab (Parliament);
“Do you understand what this means? If I get elected I could do business in the millions!”
The parallels drawn throughout the book are very loosely veiled making this book doubly interesting for Egyptians or people with a good understanding of the real connection. Though the translation was impeccable and really brings out the message while retaining the subtlety I can’t wait to read the original; not to mention watching the film.
You can buy it from Amazon here. Enjoy.
-Karim Elsahy
