Sharia Emadeddin: hikayat al-Fan wal-nojoum (Emadeddin Street: stories of art and artists), Alfred Farag, Cairo: al-Hilal Book, issue no. 659, Nov. 2005. pp316 The last book by one of the most prominent Arab playwrights, the late Alfred Farag (1929-2005), who died early this month, in this engaging memoir the aging artist, who covered the art scene for the Egyptian press as a young journalist, returns to the street that was home to the vast majority of Cairo's theatres, bars and cinemas for a good half of the 20th century, giving in to nostalgia and lamenting the fate to which the street was subsequently subject. Farag writes, "In this street there used to be 15 theatres and numerous costume stores and cafes doubling as literary and art salons." Now, whenever his steps led him there, he goes on to point out, the realisation that the place was utterly devoid of glamour was punctuated by a pang of pain, which in turn prompted him to appeal to the authorities to undertake its long overdue restoration. "Emadeddin St. has a complaint," Farag writes, "and every artisit in Egypt supports that complaint, wishing it would recover its old vitality, reasserting its place as the centre of arts in Cairo -- like Broadway in New York or the Strand in London." This fascinating book comprises 25 chapters dealing with many of the artists and the art movements that thrived on the street prior to its decline in the second half of the past century -- a must read for anyone interested in the history of art and theatre in Egypt.
