The Zafarani Files: An Egyptian Novel
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Book Overview
An unknown observer is watching the residents of a small, closely-knit neighborhood in Cairo's old city, making notes. The college graduate, the street vendors, the political prisoner, the caf owner, the taxi driver, the beautiful green-eyed young wife with the troll of a husband all are subjects of surveillance. The watcher's reports flow seamlessly into a narrative about Zafarani Alley, a village tucked into a corner of the city, where intrigue is the main entertainment, and everyone has a secret. Suspicion, superstition, and a wicked humor prevail in this darkly comedic novel. Drawing upon the experience of his own childhood growing up in al-Hussein, where the fictional Zafarani Alley is located, Gamal al-Ghitani has created a world richly populated with characters and situations that possess authenticity behind their veils of satire.
Format:Hardcover
Language:English
ISBN:9774161904
ISBN13:9789774161902
Release Date:March 2009
Publisher:American University in Cairo Press
Length:344 Pages
Weight:1.75 lbs.
Dimensions:1.1" x 6.2" x 9.3"
Customer Reviews
1 rating
A riveting piece of world fiction
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 15 years ago
What goes on in the lives of Cairoans? "The Zafarani Files" is an exploration of the modern Cairo lifestyle, through the format of an observer looking over the people of the Zafarani alley. Drawing a picture with many vivid and unique characters, Egyptian author Gamal al-Ghitani gives a fine glimpse of what life in this city is like, and many Americans will learn that it is not that different than one would gather observing an alley in an American street. "The Zafarani Files" is a riveting piece of world fiction.
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