The Yacoubian Building is a book written by an Egyptian former dentist Alaa Al Aswany. The book was initially published in Arabic in the year 2002. Due to its political content however, the book had to be published privately, but soon after its release it sold out in a month becoming one of the number 1 bestsellers of the Arab world for more than five years. The book is said to have sold more than 250, 000 copies a figure that surpassed the 3,000 usual prints- runs of the other common books. The book later was translated into other 27 languages, Hebrew included. The book was also adapted into a film, the highest grossing film ever made in Egypt. Most politicians criticized the book extensively, and asked for it to be banned, allegedly because it was giving the country a bad name (“Spotlight: The Yacoubian Building by Alaa Al Aswany”). Alaa Al Aswany engraved his mark in history by scornfully depicting the current Egyptian history. The intertwined characters, from the doorman to the wealthiest man in Cairo, produce the corruption and dictatorship that was seen in the previously leading government.
The book is set in the early 1990s. It is an interwoven story of the people who dwelt in a building known as the Yacoubian. This apartment block was originally a grand one in downtown Cairo, where wealthy people used to live, but later it becomes run down. The building seems to be a metaphor the author uses to illustrate the wider upheavals of the country. The inner city, where the building was located, used to be the home of the elite, but these people abandoned that part of the city after the nationalist revolution of 1952. Once the wealthy people left this part of the city, the resulting residents became very diverse. All manner of w...
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Adil, Alev. “The Yacoubian Building, by Alaa Al Aswany, Trans Humphrey Davies.” The Independent. Web. 14 April 2011. http://www.independent.co.uk/arts- entertainment/books/reviews/the-yacoubian-building-by-alaa-al-aswany-trans-humphrey- davies-436484.html
Aswany, Alaa. The Yacoubian Building. Cairo: American University in Cairo Press, 2004. Print.
Choudhury, Chandrahas. “A Teaming Egyptian World.” The Telegraph. Web. 14 April 2011.
Nice, Pamela. “A Conversation with Alaa Al Aswany on the Yacoubian Building.” Aljadid. Web. 14 April 2011.
“Spotlight: The Yacoubian Building by Alaa Al Aswany”. Roxelana. Web. 14 April 2011.
During the summer, I have read Black Dog of Fate by Peter Balakian and Baghdad Without A Map and other misadventures in Arabia by Tony Horwitz. These stories are different from each other content wise, however they both show how the authors encountered their heritage. For both Balakian and Horwitz, getting accustomed to their culture was a growing process. In the beginning of their stories they were seeing things through an American point of view, not knowing beyond what the newspapers and media had said. At the conclusions of these stories, the authors grew to know and fully comprehend what really was behind the closed doors in America.
The poetry “Your buildings” was written by Rita Joe who is aboriginal author. She has been describing her feeling about aboriginal people and history. Rita Joe wrote your buildings reflects on the changed landscape of her people, and her homeland area to the most modern building have replaced the natural landscape and destroyed the beauty of her homeland. Now only a memory in her hearts of people. The author tone in to the poetry was sad, hurt and sarcastic by saying “Your Buildings” she was talking to the white man what have you done to her homeland. Also when the author mentioned in her poetry “while skyscrapers hide the heavens, they can fall” Rita joe mean all of those buildings you build high, they hide the beauty of her homeland, and
Joyce, James. “Araby”. The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction. Eds. R.V. Cassill and Richard Bausch. Shorter Sixth Edition. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2000. 427 - 431.
The eponymous building-The Yacoubian Building- is an art deco apartment block, and all Egyptians live - from the rich to the poor who live on its top floor. In the recent past, Egypt has been rogue by a series of demonstration and violation of human rights. Contemporary Egypt seems to have regress from its original state to the present torn down state. Egypt therefore, is marred by a myriad number of problems. The realism and the forthrightness of the film captures the frustrations and disappointments of the Egyptian people, illuminates the government injustices and corruption, as well as criticizes the Islamism program and false religious piety. The Yacoubian Building film, which is a metaphor for Egypt, gives us a little insight on what exactly happens—homosexuality, political Islam, terrorism, torture, social inequality, political corruption and religious hypocrisy.
Dodson, Aidan, and Salima Ikram. 2008. The Tomb In Ancient Egypt. London: Thames & Hudson.
It revolves around the issues of gender oppression, sexual assault, and importance of social status. Alifa Rifaat manages to express her opinions towards these themes by writing about a typical Egyptian marriage. She puts in focus the strong influence that a patriarchal society has. She also manages to prove how important social status is in society. The uses of literally elements such as theme and irony help express this view. It shows that in a typical Egyptian society women are commonly oppressed by all males in society
It has been such a joy reading “The Norton Introduction to Literature” by Kelly J. Mays. Of all the stories that I was assigned to read, one story in particular stood out to me because of how the author used words to create a vivid image in my mind. The story I’m talking about is “Araby” by James Joyce. James Joyce does a great job creating vivid images in the readers mind and creates a theme that most of us can relate. In this paper I will be discussing five scholarly peer reviewed journals that also discusses the use of image and theme that James Joyce created in his short story “Araby”. Before I start diving into discussing these five scholarly peer review journals, I would like to just write a little bit about “Araby” by James Joyce. James Joyce is an Irish writer, mostly known for modernist writing and his short story “Araby” is one of fifteen short stories from his first book that was published called “Dubliners”. Lastly, “Araby” is the third story in Dubliners. Now I will be transitioning to discussing the scholarly peer review journals.
The description of the neighborhood, in which the narrator and Mangan and his sister live, is where we begin to see the development of setting. The narrator describes the neighborhood as a quiet, dead end street, where the houses (except the uninhabited two-storey house) "gazed at one another with brown imperturbable faces" (Joyce 395). It doesn't sound like it was an exciting neighborhood; in fact, we get the feeling that nothing happens in this kind of neighborhood at all. The lack of anything happening in their neighborhood helps us understand why the idea of Araby as something exotic and exciting was one that captured the narrator and Mangan's sister.
The Red Pyramid was the book that was chosen for a coming of age novel. The main characters are Carter, the big brother, Sadie, the little sister, Amos, the Uncle, and Julius, the Father. The book first takes place with Carter and Julius. Sadie is with her grandparents in England, because those two would be much too powerful together. Sadie and Carter have been separated most of their lives, except for a few occasions. Julius was with Sadie and Carter after a talk with her grandparents. Julius wants to take them to see the Rosetta Stone, but when julius says “If this works everything is going to change”, Carter knew something was different.
In the story of, "Araby" James Joyce concentrated on three main themes that will explain the purpose of the narrative. The story unfolded on North Richmond Street, which is a street composed of two rows of houses, in a desolated neighborhood. Despite the dreary surroundings of "dark muddy lanes" and "ash pits" the boy tried to find evidence of love and beauty in his surroundings. Throughout the story, the boy went through a variety of changes that will pose as different themes of the story including alienation, transformation, and the meaning of religion (Borey).
Perhaps the main reason I liked this book was the unfaltering courage of the author in the face of such torture as hurts one even to read, let alone have to experience first-hand. Where men give in, this woman perseveres, and, eventually, emerges a stronger person, if that is even possible. The book’s main appeal is emotional, although sound logical arguments are also used. This book is also interesting as it shows us another face of Nasir – the so-called “champion of Arab nationalism” – who is also the enemy of pan-Islamism. The book is also proof of history repeating itself in modern-day Egypt.
In “Araby”, author James Joyce presents a male adolescent who becomes infatuated with an idealized version of a schoolgirl, and explores the consequences which result from the disillusionment of his dreams. While living with his uncle and aunt, the main character acts a joyous presence in an otherwise depressing neighborhood. In Katherine Mansfield’s, The Garden Party, Mansfield’s depicts a young woman, Laura Sherridan, as she struggles through confusion, enlightenment, and the complication of class distinctions on her path to adulthood. Both James Joyce and Katherine Mansfield expertly use the literary elements of characterization to illustrate the journey of self-discovery while both main characters recognize that reality is not what they previously conceptualized it as.
God Dies by the Nile, Gives the reader and interesting look at a time and place that seems to have no equality between men and women. The Middle east has many very interesting features and aspects about it such as the way their economy is organized, the type of religion that they practice, the various geographical aspects of the land, and the way that society is in general. Because the economy is so poor, many people live in mud huts along rivers, and have very few material possessions. The main source of income comes from working in the fields. What little money they earn from the hard labor goes toward food for the family. Although this is not how everyone in lives. Strong political figures are those who live in luxury. This is the way it is in Kafr El Teen, where the characters of God Dies by the Nile, live.
Araby is about escaping into the world of fantasy. The narrator is infatuated with his friend's sister; he hides in the shadows, peering secluded from a distance trying to spy her "brown figure"(Joyce 38). She is the light in his fantasy, someone who will lift him out of darkness. I see many parallels to my life as a boy growing up in the inner city of Jersey City. We looked for escape also, a trip uptown to Lincoln Park, or take a train ride to New York City where we would gaze at the beauties on 7th Ave.
...l, many Egyptians were beginning to detest the British occupation and the Wafd Party demanded for a constitutional monarchy. Later Hamida achieves great success and power that is unique for a woman, but power corrupts and absolute power absolutely corrupts, and eventually she will lose all the success and power to become a street prostitute working for Ibrahim Faraj.