Caroline Moorehead
Coming to America
When The Yacoubian Building first appeared in Egypt in 2002, there was considerable surprise that its author, Alaa Al Aswany, escaped censorship. Though the country is officially a democracy, in practice the right to speak out against either Islam or President Mubarak and his government is severely restricted. A young blogger called Abdel-Karim Nabil Suleiman was jailed not long ago for four years for his outspokenness.
Yet The Yacoubian Building, a humorous, sometimes tragic tale of life in a decayed apartment block in downtown Cairo, was published uncensored and became an immediate bestseller across the Arab world, despite its clear portrayal of a society riddled with corruption and violence. Asked by interviewers how this was allowed
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'The eight years he has spent in solitary confinement have had a devastating impact on his mental health ... human rights organisations believe his detention is punishment for his critical views.'
@lucyjpop on the Egyptian activist and poet Ahmed Douma.
https://literaryreview.co.uk/ahmed-douma
'We nipped down Mount Pleasant ... me marvelling at London all over again because the back of a Vespa gives you the everyday world like nothing else can.'
Ali Smith writes this month's diary.
https://literaryreview.co.uk/temple-of-vespa
We were saddened to hear of the recent passing of the novelist Elspeth Barker, a valued contributor to Literary Review over the years. (1/2)