To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. Al aswanys novel the yacoubian building conveys the. Alaa al aswanys empathy and perceptive detail in this novel about the. The building doesnt talk, of course, but it shelters the many people whose lives the book recounts. In yacoubian building, a richly layered tale of life in. By alaa al aswany, the american university in cairo press, 2004, 245 pp. Tenants of the yacoubian building mirror the full length of egyptian society as it has passed from the era of privileged pashas to a scrappier social order. We provide trustworthy, efficient, and creative legal solutions to the clients we serve locally, nationally, and internationally. Published in 2002 in its original arabic edition, the yacoubian building is a novel by egyptian author alaa al aswany. In the yacoubian building, alaa al aswany creates a memorable cast of characters who, taken as a whole, may represent the range of groups or classes in contemporary egypt. Although set in the 1990s and published in 2002, alaa al aswanys novel the yacoubian building conveys the corruption and brutality that led to explosive revolutions in egypt from 2011.
The yacoubian building a sprawling, starstudded epic that spans all social classes in todays cairo, the yacoubian building distinguishes itself both as the most expensive egyptian film ever. But in the yacoubian building, an apartment complex on a downtown street tells the story of a whole nation. Susan my favorite was busayna because i could very slightly identify with some of her predicament in the workplace from long, long ago. The novel is set in downtown cairo, where there is an actual yacoubian building in which the author alaa al aswany had his first dental practice. The novel creates a sense of identity for all the classes in the nation, not just a single individual.
The residents of the yacoubian building hardly talk to each other, separated by the walls of the building. Yacoubian building houses uncomfortable truths the controversial, bestselling egyptian novel the yacoubian building describes a country that is. An actual downtown cairo landmark called the yacoubian building is the books. The yacoubian building is a true literary blockbusterthe bestselling novel in the middle east for two years and the inspiration for the biggest budget movie ever produced in egypt, according to national geographic.
The edition used in this guide was translated by humphrey davies. Yacoubian building egypt lonely planet forum thorn tree hi there, we use cookies to improve your experience on our website. Nationalist egyptian party, which pushed for independence and was the ruling party until nassers coup. This controversial bestselling novel in the arab world reveals the political corruption, sexual repression, religious extremism, and modern hopes of egypt today. Alaa alaswanys novel the yacoubian building 2002, arabic tells the story of a group of people loosely bound together by dint of living in the same crumbling building a real place in downtown cairo. Yacoubian building egypt lonely planet forum thorn tree. We are trial lawyers and business transaction specialists. Catw, i think you are kinda nutty but i have to admit the yacoubian building was a fabulous book. The novel described the yacoubian building as one of the most luxurious and prestigious apartment. Alaa alaswanys novel the yacoubian building 2002, arabic tells the story of a group of people loosely bound together by.
These themes have set the yacoubian building apart from other arab novels in the sense that there are no barriers in its description of the problems encountered. On the yacoubian building, we witnessed the government oppression at its best. The yacoubian building by alaa alaswany 2006 not even past. The yacoubian building provides a glimpse into the complicated lives of residents of an egyptian building. The yacoubian building distinguishes itself both as the most expensive egyptian film ever made and, despite its nearly threehour running time, one of the most watchable. In their stead, a new breed of cairenes has moved in. The vision of the yacoubian building is one of an unremitting nihilism and pessimism that know no bounds.
Set in the late 20th century egypt, after the egyptian revolution of 1952, the yacoubian building started filling up with people from egypts lower class, while some others from the upper and middle classes stayed put. The major political theme of the yaucobian building is politcal corruption in egypt during the 1990s 1997 steadystabilizing economic build until 1997 when the luxour terrorist attacks caused a decline in tourism, and the asian financial turmoil. The rare privilege of reading the book was offered to expand cultural awareness and understanding in the. Themes and controversy the yacoubian building was branded a. The yacoubian building is an egyptian film based on the novel of the same title by author alaa al aswany. Egyptian sexuality in the 90s homosexuality was a taboo prostitution was made legal in late 18s up to early 19s. American readers coming to this novel will find it a vibrant and descriptive primer illuminating the various forces in. This tenstory structure, i found, has a lot to say. Aswany brings those who live and work there vibrantly alive. In the course of this unforgettable novel, these disparate lives converge, careening inexorably toward an explosive conclusion. Imarat yaqubyan is a novel by egyptian author alaaalaswany. Harper perennial, 2007 originally published in arabic. Alaa al aswanys the yacoubian building 2002, which became a bestselling egyptian and arab novel worldwide in the past decade, owes its title to the ambition of an armenian millionaire who wanted immortality through a building that bears his name.
Erected in the mid 1930s in cairos newly europeanized centre, the building is an architectural jewel, and was then the home of a multitude of. Prostitutes were given permits and had to be checked for disease every week. All content included on our site, such as text, images, digital downloads and other, is the property of its content suppliers and protected by us and international laws. In the end, the world of the yacoubian building shows us an egypt where dreams are extinguished with an aggression and cruelty that turns the hopeful young people who live in it into crude and heartless hustlers. Though this is sometimes strained, it holds up well enough, and though the characters represent different classes and backgrounds, they are also individuals.
But the war is not the focus of the book, it is pretty much background. Alaa elaswany, who is a dentist, does not shy away from weaving sordid tales of political corruption, sexuality and torture in his story. The book focuses mainly on the residents of the yacoubian building, a oncechic but now rundown edifice that acts as a metaphor for cairos own deterioration. It tells the story of life in cairo through several interwoven narratives. From the pious son of the buildings doorkeeper and the raucous, impoverished squatters on its roof, via the tattered aristocrat and the gay intellectual in its. Alaa al aswanys the yacoubian building qbc kicked off 20 by doing something a little closer to asia. The yacoubian building, directed by marwan hamed, is based on. The yacoubian building by alaa al aswany in chm, epub, fb3 download ebook. Politics, freedoms and spirituality in alaa al aswanys yacoubian building desiree lewis university of the western cape abstract although set in the 1990s and published in 2002, alaa al aswanys novel the yacoubian building conveys the corruption and brutality that. The yacoubian building is the sort of dense neighbourhood novel which, though quite out of style when set in london or.
Interview with director and star of the yacoubian building duration. A novel and join the genius community of scholars to learn the meaning behind the words. A feminist perspective of egypts yacoubian building written by. The yacoubian building is entertaining and does offer a good overview of contemporary cairo life, but with its many stories and its simplifications can feel more like it skims the surface than truly explores the many hidden depths even as it shares so many intimacies. The yacoubian building holds all that egypt was and has become over the 75 years since its namesake was built on one of downtown cairos main boulevards. Politics, freedoms and spirituality in alaa al aswanys. Livia beqo abstract the yacoubian building stands amid the smog and commotion of downtown cairo. In the hot evenings of autumn 2002, cairos streetside cafes were packed with. She had practicality and perseverance despite her setbacks.
The yacoubian is a luxury apartment building which was built in cairo in the late 30s. The film expresses all these elements through the lives of those who reside in the yacoubian building, representing segments within the egyptian society. An international bestseller, the yacoubian building is a mesmerising and controversial novel that is at once an impasssioned celebration and a ruthless. The yacoubian building in hebrew books the guardian. The yacoubian building by alaa alaswany 2006 not even. She accepted her responsibility to take care of her. The following are excerpts from the yacoubian building by egyptian author alaa al aswany.
One of the hardest parts about planning a party, though, is coming up with the perfect theme in the first placewhich is why we turned to the experts. Any party in egypt, when it makes elections is in power, is bound to win. Themes in the yacoubian building by lancelot naipierkane. The yacoubian building is set in cairo around 1990, the time of the gulf. At the dawn of the 21st century, the yacoubian still has charm and a reputation for elegance, but is beginning to show clear signs of decay, and the rooftop laundry facilities now double as flats for the less fortunate. In addition, by using a single structure as the physical locus in.
Since you didnt show up, well give you a glimpse of some themes we discussed so you can feel a part of it. It has been reported to be the highestbudgeted film in the history of egyptian cinema. However through its lighthearted manner, the subject manner describes many issues that have plagued the arab culture since its beginning. A feminist perspective of egypts yacoubian building by. He made sure we discussed almost everything on the book, from characters, themes and egypt as a whole. He decided to write one last novel, the yacoubian building, and attempt to have it published. All live in the yacoubian building, a onceelegant temple of art deco splendor slowly decaying in the smog and hubbub of downtown cairo, egypt. The yacoubian building is adapted from a novel of the same name by alaa al aswany, which took the arab world by storm upon release in 2002. Through its firstclass citizens and workingclass roofdwellers we view wealth and poverty, character and corruption, vice, chauvinism, terrorism, homosexuality, politics, prostitution.
Pdf politics, freedoms and spirituality in researchgate. An actual downtown cairo landmark called the yacoubian building is the book s unifying element, housing all strata of egyptian society. Theres no question that a good theme can take a party from average to wildly creative, fun and jawdropping if youre handy with decorations. Tragicomic, passionate, shockingly frank in its sexuality, and brimming with an extraordinary, embracing human compassion, the yacoubian building is a literary achievement of the first order. The yacoubian building notes of a spurkahye finally come. The yacoubian building by alaa al aswany takes place in cairo in the 1990s during the first gulf war when iraq invaded kuwait and the u. She hadmore my favorite was busayna because i could very slightly identify with some of her predicament in the workplace from long, long ago. The yacoubian building by alaa al aswany goodreads.
An actual downtown cairo landmark called the yacoubian building is the books unifying element, housing all strata of egyptian society. The yacoubian building is fastmoving and actionpacked, with drama in every scene and shifts between the different strands used to provide tension. The center of the book is the various stories of some of the people who live and work in the yacoubian building. This controversial bestselling novel in the arab world re. Based on the novel by the same title, the author dr. Has office in yacoubian building lives with sister dawlet. Imarat yacqoubian the yacquoubian building, alaa elaswani, cairo. To conclude, the yacoubian building was the bestselling arabic novel for 2002. Washington report on middle east affairs, septemberoctober 2006, page 74 books the yacoubian building. Economics in the yacoubian building gender in the egyptian 90s apartment vs.
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