The Yacoubian Building by Alaa Al Aswany
Set in a once-grand downtown Cairo apartment building, the novel interweaves the lives of its diverse residents—decaying aristocrats, ambitious businessmen, idealistic youth, closeted men, exploited women and rising Islamist activists—to sketch a panoramic portrait of contemporary Egyptian society. Through episodes of corruption, police brutality, prostitution, political manipulation and social aspiration, it exposes how crony capitalism, authoritarian state power and religious conservatism erode personal freedoms, destroy hopes and force moral compromises. The result is an unsparing, empathic critique of a society in decline and transition.
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- Published
- 2002
- Nationality
- Egyptian
- Length
- Moderate
- Pages
- 300-400 pages
- Original Language
- Arabic
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- Alternate Titles
-
- Imarat Ya'qubian
- Omaret Yakobean
- عمارة يعقوبيان
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