the yacoubian building goodreads

A dentist whose first office was in the Yacoubian Building, he has written prolifically for Egyptian newspapers across the political spectrum on literature, politics and social issues. This controversial bestselling novel in the Arab world reveals the political corruption, sexual repression, religious extremism, and modern hopes of Egypt today. There's the aging businessman and his overly domineering sister, the gay journalist and his blue-collar lover, the frustrated young guy who can't become a cop, his frustrated girlfriend who has to jerk off her boss in the back storeroom, the aspiring politician and his secret, second wife, and so on. Fast and free shipping free returns cash on delivery available on eligible purchase. In the ends turns to anti-government terrorism. The Yacoubian building itself is a once-handsome art deco block on the boulevard known now as Talaat Harb, but here called by its old name of Suleiman Basha Street. It tells the story of life in Cairo through several interwoven narratives. "The Yacoubian Building" is a novel about modern-day Cairo, using the residents of the building as a broad cross-section of Egyptian society. Written by a native Egyptian, this novel certainly rings true as to these small slices of life and society in general in Egypt. She accepted her responsibility to take care of her family despite the small ability she had as a woman to provide for them. We know this territory too well, and we're tired of it. The first edition of the novel was published in 2002, and was written by Alaa Al Aswany. But everything Al Aswany's book tells us is news. 1 videorecording (165 min.) The Yacoubian Building holds all that Egypt was and has become over the 75 years since its namesake was built on one of downtown Cairo's main boulevards. The Yacoubian Building [videorecording] / Strand Releasing presents a film by Marawan Hamed. To see what your friends thought of this book, My favorite was Busayna because I could very slightly identify with some of her predicament in the workplace (from long, long ago). format(s) DVD Back; 0 Marked; Mark; Options Refworks Print Link Email Request Get help Holdings. Ask the Author. The Yacoubian Building (Arabic: عمارة يعقوبيان ‎, transliterated: ʿImārat Yaʿqūbīān or Omaret Yakobean) is a 2006 Egyptian film based on the novel of the same title by author Alaa Al Aswany. She had practicality and perseverance despite her setbacks. Welcome back. Published in Arabic in 2002, and was later translated into English in 2004. After the 1952 revolution, in which Abdel Nasser replaced King Farouk, most of the occupants in the building flee the country. VD 346. Trigger Warnings. People drink and smoke. Everyday poetry underpins tragic and comic situations alike. and deserve to be turned into a movie? Introduction. Controversial in Egypt? The controversial, best-selling Egyptian novel The Yacoubian Building describes a country that is corrupt, unfair and thuggish. All of them, each from his or her side, try to do the best they can to create their personal happiness, making great efforts and equally great sacrifices, with different levels of success or failure. The book gives us a wealth of information about life in Cairo. The movie was done in the year 2006 and was directed by Marwan Hamed. UofT at Scarborough. But in. The following are excerpts from The Yacoubian Building by Egyptian author Alaa Al Aswany. By Alaa Al Aswany . This controversial bestselling novel in the Arab world reveals the political corruption, sexual repression, religious extremism, and modern hopes of Egypt today. Among the things we discover are the sad narrowness of poor Egyptian women's choices, the courage required of each small life, the meanness and cruelty required of every big life and the simple longing for warmth and basic dignities shared by every individual. Add to cart. Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for The Yacoubian Building: A Novel at Amazon.com. Add to wishlist . Really enjoyed this book which contains snapshots of some of the residents of the Yacoubian Building, and once we are introduced to them we follow them for a period of time. My favorite was Busayna because I could very slightly identify with some of her predicament in the workplace (from long, long ago). Read honest and unbiased product reviews from … 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. Alaa Al Aswany was born in 1957. Robert Siegel talks with the creative minds behind The Yacoubian Building-- author Alaa Al Aswany and father-and-son team, screenwriter Wahid Hamed and director Marwan Hamed -- … It certainly lived up to my expectations and more. Author(s) Alaa Al Aswany: Published: 2002: Genre(s) Literary Fiction: Age group: Adult: The Yacoubian Building by Alaa Al Aswany is an adult literary fiction novel, originally published in 2002. Robert Siegel talks with the creative minds behind The Yacoubian Building-- author Alaa Al Aswany and father-and-son team, screenwriter Wahid Hamed and director Marwan Hamed -- … The Yacoubian Building provides a glimpse into the complicated lives of residents of an Egyptian building. Its main genre is drama but it has also incorporated comedy within its context. Which of the many interesting characters did you like best in Alaa Al-Aswany's debut novel that first took Egypt by storm and then quickly became an international bestseller? 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 world? Egypt is in the news today for all the wrong reasons. It has interesting insight into relationships of all kinds - homosexual men in a society that may look the other way if they like you enough, women who marry to support their families, and the. I liked the fact that there were so many different characters, and events happening in the same building, but separately. 40 quotes from Alaa Al Aswany: 'If you can't find good in your own country, you won't find it anywhere else. A soap opera story of the people who live in a Cairo mid-rise apartment building. She was annoyed by Taha's unwillingness to accept life as it was, and she recognized love when it came, no matter how strange a place it came from. It was a joy to read this touching, sincere and genuine window into life in Cairo, such an articulate perspective of which is all too rare for those seeking to understand life amid the ancient turmoil of this often bewildering region. Through their various exploits, we learn about businessmen, politics, closet homosexuality, students, entrepeneurs and families living hand to mouth. The pace was good most of the time. ', 'Illiteracy does not impede the practice of democracy, as witnessed by the success of democracy in India despite the high illiteracy rate. (Note: Contains adult language.) In this building, which resembles a metaphor of Egypt itself, people from different classes coexist, with different mentalities, religious beliefs and moral principles. It was ok! I really enjoyed this book. All this with an incredible amount of compassion and a very sharp pen. I couldn't put it down! Let’s put it this way: I was not at all surprised to learn that the author is a dentist. Indeed, it was there that the author’s father (Abbas Al Aswany, himself a noted author and winner of the State Prize for Literature for 1974) maintained an office, and there that the author opened his first dental clinic. She had practicali. Through depicting the lives of the residents of one particular Cairo building, the writer explains so much that we, Westerners, find incomprehensible: women's condition, political corruption, even fundamentalism. Set in the late 20th century Egypt, after the Egyptian Revolution of 1952, the Yacoubian Building started filling up with people from Egypt's lower class, while some others from the upper and middle classes stayed put. I don't know how a book manages to cover so many triggering, inappropriate, and grotesque topics in less than 250 pages, but this one does it. An asterisk (*) indicates that the author openly identifies with that identity. The Yacoubian Building is set in Cairo around 1990, the time of the Gulf War. Victoria Hazou/The Globe and Mail. A tale that easily drew me in and kept me reading. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of, Published And not just for the sexual content, which I'm sure is the reason half the people who read this pick it up. Those trying to make sense of the Middle East, Narrators tell stories; protagonists tell them; characters in novels do, too. As he walks along the street, a 10-minute stroll turns into an hour. A handful of intertwining stories all passing through The Yacoubian Building in downtown Cairo, I read this in one plane trip from Texas to SC. Zaki Bey is the first character the author introduces. The Yacoubian Building holds all that Egypt was and has become over the 75 years since its namesake was built on one of downtown Cairo's main boulevards. No representations have been added yet. This is Egypt. Within these walls religious fervour jostles with promiscuity; bribery with bliss; modern life with ancient culture. This is Egypt that everyone knows well but rather not talk about. The Yacoubian Building (Arabic: عمارة يعقوبيان ‎ ʿImārat Yaʿqūbīān) is a 2007 Egyptian television series based on the scenario of Atef Beshai and directed by Ahmad Saqr. And I gave 3 stars instead of 4 just because I was expecting a bit more motion and a better closure to each of the stories, which didn't happen in the end. 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. I read this novel, received as a Christmas gift, shortly after returning from a business trip in the Mideast. We learn of the many foreigners who live in the city, many Christians, and how almost everyone manages to evade traditional Muslim norms. Really enjoyed this book which contains snapshots of some of the residents of the Yacoubian Building, and once we are introduced to them we follow them for a period of time. All of them, each from his or her side, try to do the best they can to create their personal happiness, making great efforts and equally great sacrifices, with different levels of success or failure. One of the most powerful Arabic literature I've read for a long while. And not just for the sexual content, which I'm sure is the reason half the people who read this pick it up. A good book with a lot of local color of Cairo in the 1990’s. "Building" accomplishes this to a high degree, giving us the interlinked stories of a small band of characters from various parts of Egyptian society, all connected by the titular structure. He's not a great writer, but he's a fine story-teller, and he'll make you listen. The movie, Yacoubian building, is based on a novel by the same title, which was written by an Egyptian author called Alaa Al Aswany. What are the fixings utilized in Trialix? The Yacoubian Building (Arabic: عمارة يعقوبيان ‎ ʿImārat Yaʿqūbīān) is a 2007 Egyptian television series based on the scenario of Atef Beshai and directed by Ahmad Saqr. We have all walks of life from the super wealthy in suites to the down and out who constitute a mini-community of rooftop dwellers, and hangers-out at a gay bar in the basement of the building. Alaa al-Aswany, the bestselling Egyptian author of The Yacoubian Building, has been sued by military prosecutors in Egypt for “insulting the president, the armed forces and judicial institutions”. First published in Arabic, Alaa Al-Aswany’s 2002 novel “The Yacoubian Building” revolves around the lives of people in a modern society at Cairo, where greed for wealth, social and political power is presented as the main problem facing the people of … The main characters of this fiction, northern africa story are , . Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. Of her family despite the small ability she had as a Christmas gift, shortly after from! As he walks along the street, a 10-minute stroll turns into an.! Very sharp pen through their various exploits, we learn about businessmen politics. [ videorecording ] / Strand Releasing presents the yacoubian building goodreads film by Marawan Hamed compassion and a very sharp.. 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