The Literary Life of Cairo: One Hundred Years in the Heart of the City by Samia Mehrez

Abstract

TheLiterary Life ofCairo:OneHundredYearsintheHeartoftheCity . Samia Mehrez, ed.Cairo. TheAmerican University inCairo Press. 2011.xv+ 433 pages. $39.95. isbn 978-977-416-390-6 Samia Mehrezhas chosento portray theliterary lifeofCairointhe lastonehundred yearsbyselecting passagesfrom whatliterary writers who livedin thecityhavewritten aboutitand itspeople.Unlikeher Literary AtlasofCairo(2010),which focuseson theliterary geopolitics ofthecity, thiscompanion volume offers representations of Cairo in the twentieth century by writers of novels,shortstories, memoirs, and othernarratives coveringits socioeconomicand culturallife. Her selections bringalive a major Arabcityknowntoitsdenizensas the"Mother ofCities," anddemonstrate howspaceplaysas important a roleinnarrative literature as character andplot. The book has seven sections, eachwithan introduction. In each section,one main theme dominates the selectedpassages of a dozen or morewriters. By turns, thereadergetsto knowtheicons ofthecity,itscosmopolitan character ,its educationalsystem,its streets, itswomen, itsunderworld, and even its drug culture.The readeris invitedtosee how Cairo changes over time throughthe eyesoffictional characters andthe imaginationsof its literaryresidents .Whether itis KingFarouk, President Nasser, or President Sadat in power,thereadershares thepeople's moments ofpolitical participation or oppression,students 'experiences in postcolonial schooling,the audience's entertainment by a singeror a bellydancer , different class attitudes towardcurrent publicevents, and manyother aspectsofCairo'slife. Aboutone hundredworksby Egyptianand otherArab writers servedas thebasisfortheselected representations. Mostareoriginally inArabic, butsomeareoriginally in English orFrench. Menandwomen, Muslims, Christians, and Jews - all are enamoredby the metropolis. Most are Egyptianslike Naguib Mahfouz,Radwa Ashour,Salwa Bakr, Taha Hussein,Nawal El-Saadawi ,and Tawfiqal-Hakim; buta feware outsiders suchas Edward Said, a Palestinian, and Mohamed Berrada, a Moroccan, bothofwhom spent student daysinCairo. Thisis a rareapproachto the studyof modernArabicliterature that resembles Franco Moretti's 1998 book,AtlasoftheEuropean Novel: 1800-1900. Itconfines itself tospace inliterature anddoesnotdeal,like Moretti's, withliterature in space. However, itclearly opensnewways of understanding the interaction between society and literature and, as such,is a welcomeadditionto scholarship inArabliterary history. (Editorial note: To readan interview withSamiaMehrez, seepage12.) lssaJ.Boullata Montreal ChristineMontalbetti. L'Evaporationde I'onde.Paris. P.O.L. 2011.329 pages. €1 9.isbn 978-2-81 80-1 337-3 In a ruraland agreeably timeless Japan, an uncle disappears - or rather evaporates - from hisbrother's home.Manyyears later, hisnephew goes in searchofhim,leavinghis ownhomeinturn andsetting outon a difficult questwhoseoutcomeis byno meansguaranteed. Christine Montalbetti tellsthatstoryin an unhurried manner, stopping along ...