When Mahmoud comes back from the Hajj (the Greater Pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia), a friend jokingly tells him that the Devil has phoned him up to complain that he went off to Mecca and deserted his great pal (the Devil), after their long and happy friendship. Mahmoud has lived a sinful life, enjoying all the luxuries of the world. There isn't a brand of wine that he hasn't tasted, while he's lost a fortune in casinos round the world and is a familiar face at the brothels in all the European capitals. He manages to give up his sins one by one, but he struggles with his biggest weakness …quot; women; as he travels all the time on business, he always meets plenty of girls offering him their services. Despite this, he still prays five times a day so as not to disobey Allah. Mahmoud is the main character in a short story in the latest Egyptian collection Very Egyptian Tales by the just-starting-out writer Hesham el-Kheshen, which is published by the Egyptian-Lebanese Publishing House. In this short story, entitled The Hajj, Hesham explores the life of Mahmoud who sees no contradiction between his lustful deeds and his fear of God. "This is an issue and that's another," Hesham says on his narrator's tongue about the relation between Egyptians' beliefs and actions. When Mahmoud comes back from the Hajj as a ‘newborn', he is determined to let his shameful past go. From now on, he keeps himself to himself during his business trips, as he doesn't want to lose the blessing of the Hajj trip and fall again. "He keeps this up for more than six months, until one night on a trip to Dubai he opens his bedroom door, only to find a pretty Russian woman waiting outside," says the narrator. He lets her in, but doesn't touch her until she repeats after him: "I marry you". The night ends with him saying "I divorce you" and her counting the cash she's received from her 'client'. He calls his secretary and asks him to book him another ticket for the next Hajj trip, which he plans to make an annual custom, inshallah. In his first work, Hesham tackles numerous social issues. He moves from religion to love and from loneliness to corruption in flash-like stories or sketches. Religion dominates several stories in Very Egyptian Tales. In Hesham's short story The Orthodox, Maryam starts to realise why she is different from her friends. "When Maryam was a child she never understood why she had to go to Sunday school on Fridays; why not on Sundays so she can play with her friends in the park on Friday mornings?" Maryam is raised to "obey, whatever she is asked to do". She is quiet and doesn't talk much; she's a real source of pride for her family. Everything goes smoothly until she starts studying at the Faculty of Pharmacy and meets Marawan …quot; her soulmate. For five years, they have loved one another without admitting it, but on their last day at university Marawan told Maryam he loved her and asked her to marry him. "Maryam imagined her life with Marawan and a wide smile grew on her face. However, the latter disappeared when she started to imagine where would their children pray: in a church or a mosque? And how would this relationship live while rejected from both religions?" With contradicting emotions, numerous questions, hope and despair, Maryam reached her resolution: "This passion is as far as we can go. Our love is already doomed because what we are going to sacrifice is much bigger than what I or you could stand." Marriage and two beautiful kids changed Maryam's life, yet the same sweet, innocent smile appears on her face whenever she remembers Marawan. Most of Hesham's stories have simple themes like this. You always find the same elements, simple Arabic language and quite predictable outcomes. Despite their predictability, the stories have a surprising impact on the reader; the fine details open your eyes to things you've never noticed before. Love, money and authority dominate Hesham's 19 stories. These three themes concern all Egyptians, especially the upper class. Though the collection consists of Egyptian tales, you won't get an overview of Egypt, only the lives of the rich, snooty people. For instance, in The Prisoner, corruption is tackled through a friendly conversation between two corrupted businessmen, who've been caught and sent to prison. The story shows what a wonderful life rich convicts have. "After winning his first tennis match in prison, Shamel realises that he won't miss much of his luxurious life on the outside." As you read on and on, what you begin to realise is that all the tales in Very Egyptian Tales comprise one big theme that grows and grows: it's contradiction. When you read this collection, you will spot numerous sorts of contradiction that only exist in Egypt. So why are Egyptians still smiling, laughing and famous for their sense of fun? Very Egyptian Tales By Hesham el-Kheshen Published by the Egyptian-Lebanese Publishing House 135 pages LE25
