Writers tend to agree that political and social sarcasm is a result of the passive process of being denied political rights. In his articles, collected in "Misr Laysat Omi Di merat Aboya" ("Egypt Isn't My Mother, It's My Step Mom"), Osama Gharib systematically deconstructs the foundation of the Egyptian state since 1952 by tackling such issues as political corruption, deteriorating education, disempowerment of the intellectual elite, despotism and repressive state practices. According to Gharib, these issues have led to the state of demoralization currently felt by much of the Egyptian public. The book sold some 50,000 copies in 14 successive editions. A sequel, entitled “Aftocalayzo,” was published earlier this year and has since sold 20,000 copies. “The book was so successful because it combines depth and novelty," said Gharib. "It gently entertains the reader while avoiding vulgarity of style and unworthy comical tricks. Moreover, it has a clear political message not concealed by cynicism,” he added. Sarcasm is meant to reveal the ugliness of social practices and to humiliate and scandalize corrupt people, Gharib said, adding that "Since we are unable to put them in jail, we can at least use good writing as a tool of vengeance." The sociopolitical tinge coloring the writings is undeniable, with the majority of articles including "Egypt" in the title, as well as such novel lines as "a sarcastic sociological account" and "a sarcastic educational book." Journalist and poet Haytham Dabbour often uses an ironic tone. "I chose to write about the status of education because I discovered that our educational system is the root of all the problems we face in Egypt. When I started working in journalism, I discovered that the corrupt school and university environment is an epitome of the larger Egyptian community." In 2009, Dabbour released his book, "Awel Mokarrar" in which he placed the educational system under a microscope and cynically exposed its inadequacies. The book sold over 15,000 copies and the release of the fourth edition is expected soon. Dabbour, who comes from a younger generation, agrees with Gharib. "No doubt my generation possesses deep-seated rage," he said. "Cynical writing is about blowing off steam." Other writings focus on the spectacular failure of nationalist ideologies and slogans in the contemporary Egyptian world. Egyptian journalist and poet Omar Taher writes about the social history of his generation, which is now in its early thirties, and its relationship with mass media, institutions and education. Taher is particularly adept at mapping out the transformations that alienated his generation from the nationalistic longings promoted by these institutions. In 2005, after Taher published his book "Shaklaha Bazet", several books written in a similar style flooded the usually quite limited Egyptian book market. Most of the authors adopted Taher's condensed writing style, which is packed with contemporary slang and makes his books more accessible to younger readers. The rapturous reception received by Khaled el-Khamissi's "Taxi" in 2006 and Gharib's "Misr Laysat Omi Di Merat Aboya" in 2008 lent greater respectability to the genre and encouraged many authors to follow suit. However, reactions to this phenomenon have not been entirely positive. Many critics commented on the weakness of the writing and the general level of superficiality in many of the works. “Sarcastic writing is more of a fad than a phenomenon,” said journalist and literary critic Sayed Mahmoud. “It has merely followed the trend of comedy films that began in 2002. Like these films, much of the writing is based on a good deal of nastiness.” In the past, he added, sarcastic writers, such as Ahmed Ragab, Mahmoud el-Saadani, Mohamed Afifi and later Safinaz Kazem, were known for their broad knowledge of Egyptian society and culture. By combining politics, sociology, economics and literature, these writers employed a simple and insightful writing style that was accessible to mainstream readers. "Today, only Bilal Fadl and Galal Amer can be seen as having beautiful writing that maintains a clear political stance," said Mahmoud, adding "unlike most others [authors], their writings are not absurd." Gharib partially blames the publishing companies for this phenomenon, many of which put the quest for profit ahead of literary quality. “Publishers try to catch readers' attention through sarcasm, yet only ten per cent of these books show any real depth or talent," he said, adding that, "they may cover their expenses, but their influence quickly fades." “It is more about tying the theme of the book to a problematic social framework,” said Dabbour. He specifically means a category of books that targets the Egyptian government or the performance of state personnel in everyday situations. Such books are viewed as having shoddy styles of sarcasm, and were automatically categorized as outlandish imitations lacking authenticity. “I think that writing well naturally requires a serious creative effort. Many of the sarcastic books lack this effort and take the political and social issues lightly,” explained Gharib. By attacking the popular beliefs reinforced by state institutions, the authors raised significant controversy and people began to question their intentions. Dabbour said, "These writings have a tone that matches the Egypt's general disposition over the last decade. The populist sentiment of readers flowed from a stream of angry newspapers and talk shows. Finally, we saw such books as "Egypt is Not My Mother", "Egypt's Koshary", "Egypt's Captain" and "Wrathful Egypt". Last Ramadan, Dabbour wrote the script for the television program called "Abo Hafiza." The program presented a sarcastic narrative of modern Egyptian history since 1950 while telling the personal history of Abo Hafiza. The program was accused of distorting the history of the nation's battles against international forces in 1956 and 1973. "In Abo Hafiza, we attempted to highlight how media institutions insist on preserving the image of a sacred state in times of both victory and defeat. We live in a time where we have lost faith in change, and whether it will ever happen," explained Dabbour. Conversely, some writers find the debate on the nation's symbols to be artificial. "My writings only protect the fundamentals, like love of country and the struggle for progress. However, praising a ruler or supporting the personal ambitions of a particular minister cannot be considered a fundamental part of the nation," concluded Gharib. Dabbour added, "There is a commercial side of the story of course. Sarcastic writing sells more, as does having Egypt's name on the title. People prefer to read something that looks easy to understand. It is becoming fashionable to release a sarcastic book every year during the international book fair season. I object to this, books should be prolific and immortal, and have no season. On the plus side, these books attract a greater reading audience and promote the culture industry at large. Whether shallow or deep, this stream of satirical writings surely provides a view of contemporary Egyptian history from young people's perspective.
