On the State of Egypt

The bestselling author of The Yacoubian Building and Chicago turns his attention to current affairs in Egypt. In the novels and short stories of Alaa Al Aswany, characters struggle with class differences, police brutality, poverty, sexual harassment and political corruption; now, in a new collection of essays, Al Aswany considers these same issues that torment modern Egyptian society. He has a great deal to say about one of the most pressing questions on everyone's mind: who will be the next president of Egypt, and how will he be elected? He discusses the moral ambiguity of appointed politicians, the suitability of democratic reforms in a Muslim society and the inherent contradiction in the actions of the religiously observant policeman who tortures or the man who harasses women. Critical, controversial and straightforward, Al Aswany asks his government to serve the people, and the people to demand what they deserve. 'Alaa Al Aswany is a world writer, making Egyptian concerns into human ones and beautifully illuminating our always extraordinary and sometimes sad and baffling world.' The Times