With the hot days of summer upon us, writers and critics share their reading lists with the Cairo Review of Books "I have not developed the concept of 'summer reading,' because I work as a freelance critic and translator and consider myself to be on a kind of continual vacation. However, if I have the chance to take a real summer vacation, I become more interested in reading, rather than in translating or writing. I recently got hold of a book entitled Osama: The Making of a Terrorist by Jonathan Randel. This is not related to literary criticism, and, at 500 pages, can be postponed for a summer vacation. "A friend from Lebanon recently sent me a new novel by the late novelist Abdel-Rahman Munif, entitled Um El-Zawayid, which means, among other things, the tree growing beside a shrine. This novel, which is believed to be Munif's first, has never been published before, so I am really curious to read it. I am also engaged in re-reading all my own past articles on Munif's works, in preparation for a book on his writing. "The best novel I read this year was an Arabic translation of an autobiographical novel by the Egyptian novelist Fawziya Assad, who writes in French and lives in Geneva. The novel, al-Beit al-kabir fi lqsor (The Big House at Luxor) presents a unique depiction -- the first time in contemporary Egyptian writing -- of the wealthy Coptic families of Upper Egypt, a social group about which we have only very general knowledge. The author also depicts the routines of daily life and the cultural scene in contemporary Luxor from a female point of view. "The politics of the Middle East is another topic that fascinates me, and I have just finished reading a book called Thaqafit al-istislam (The Culture of Surrender) by Belal El-Hassan. The book discusses the dilemma in which we Arabs are involved these days and is a critical study of the writings of five Arab political writers (Kanan Makiya, Hazem Saghiya, Saleh Bashir, Al-Afif Lakhdar and Amin Al-Mahdi) who propagate the idea of the futility of opposing American hegemony. "Another important political book that I enjoyed was al-Hajiz (Checkpoints) by the Palestinian author Azmi Bishara. This deals with the checkpoint and blockades set up by the Israelis between different Palestinian villages and towns in the occupied territories. It gives details on each, as well as on how these blockades affect people's lives. "This summer I also intend to re-read my own book, Ro'a al-waqi' wa homoum al-thawrah al-mohasara, darasat fi al-masrah al-arabi al-mo'asir (Studies in Contemporary Arab Theatre), which was published by Dar Al-Adab in Beirut in 1990. Unfortunately, the book was not very widely read, so I am busy writing a new introduction for the second edition, due to be published this year in Cairo." Farouk Abdel-Qadir Critic "Summer vacations are usually a good chance to read up on light topics, which nourish the mind. However, I am currently reading a book entitled A'idat qira't Dostoevsky (Rereading Dostoevsky) , which incldudes a number of studies on that great Russian novelist , and is translated by Khalil Kalfat. I am a big fan of Dostoevsky, and this book is encouraging me to re-read his novels in the light of new ideas. Reading novels uniquely enriches my historical vision and gives me special enjoyment, which I do not get from reading works of non- fiction or even poetry. "I am also half way through Gamal El-Ghitany's latest novel, Nethar El-Mahw (Ashes of Erasure). It is a strange title, isn't it? The most interesting element of this autobiographical novel is El-Ghitany's use of time: time's confusion, I believe, is the protagonist. El-Ghitany's narration does not follow the ordinary sequence of time: rather, he tells a story from his childhood on one page, and on the next he jumps to a very recent incident in his life. The novel is built around three major circles: El-Ghitany's life in the El-Gamalayya district of Cairo, where he spent his childhood; his time in prison, an experience which greatly affected him as a young man; and his place in the intellectual world, including his relationships with other writers." Abdel-Rahman El-Abnoudy Poet "Reading has become a problematic process for me as an old man. I have dozens of books stacked up in piles in my living room, and yet I get bored reading them and find them too superficial. This is a great contrast to my habits when I was a young man, when I used to read everywhere: on the banks of the Nile, in the buses (they were not as crowded then as they are today), and even in the bathroom. I do not have air-conditioning at home, and concentrating on reading during the hot summer months is something of a trial. "Nevertheless, I have just finished reading a novel by Mai Khaled entitled Meka'ad fi qa'et ewart (A Seat in Ewart Hall). This is the second novel that this young author has published, and I think it is a good one. I also recently finished a collection of short stories by novelist Salah Abdel-Sayed. Entitled al-Bint al-yamama (The Girl like a Dove), the stories reflect El-Sayed's realist vision of the world, and they reject experimental fashions that have nothing to do with our reality as a third- world country. Although, El-Sayed is considered one of the writers of the 1970s, he has been unfairly ignored by the critics. The publication of this new collection of short stories should help his work to be re-evaluated and give him the praise that he deserves." Idris Ali Fiction writer "I enjoy reading during the summer vacations, because this is the only period during which I can set about reading things that I have postponed during the year. As I am a university professor, though I read throughout the year a lot gets postponed for the summers. "I have recently started reading Voices of a People's History of the United States, edited by Howard Zinn and Anthony Arnove. The book is very stimulating, especially when you know that Zinn published A People's History of the United States ten years ago, a book which tells the history of the States from the points of view of marginal and underprivileged groups, such as African-Americans and women. The book has recently been translated into Arabic and published by the Egyptian Supreme Council for Culture. The new book tells the history of the United States through various documents, starting from the time of Christopher Columbus to the present day, which is dubbed as the "day of terrorism". "Regarding fiction, I am personally interested in Toni Morrison's work, so I have kept her latest novel Love to read during the summer vacation. This, and Umberto Eco's latest novel The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana, in English translation will be my novel reading for the summer. "Arab heritage books are another major stimulus for me. This year, I will start reading The Tales of Princess Zat El-Hemma and her Son Abdel-Wahab, a kind of folk epic. There are seven volumes, each volume being over 800 pages in length. Reading such works gives me great pleasure, because I am interested in studying different styles of Arabic narration, especially those used in old texts. Reading books of this sort, besides the uniquely interesting tales they contain, opens up new horizons for any novelist." Radwa Ashour Fiction writer and critic "I do not plan any special reading during the summers. However, the books I read differ according to what I am writing myself. If I am writing a novel, I do not usually read novels because they divert my attention. Instead, I read poetry as it nourishes my own language and touches deeper feelings than those evoked by reading history or politics. "I have recently finished a fantastic novel entitled, Ma'abad yanjah fi Baghdad (Ma'abad succeeds in Baghdad), the latest book by the Lebanese novelist Rashid El-Da'if. This tells the story of a singer called Ma'abad and how he manages to become famous, even though he is not an official singer at the Sultan's palace. Through the story of this character, the author paints a fascinating picture of social life in Baghdad during the Ottoman period." Hala El-Badry Fiction writer "I do not postpone reading to the summer because I consider myself to be a freelance writer and reader: in other words, I do not have the regular responsibilities of salaried workers. Hence, the seasons get mixed up in my mind. Generally speaking, I hate the summer. Summer is not suitable for anything: during the summer I wither like a flower out of water, and I only regain my energy with the advent of winter. "The last thing I read this winter was Mudhakirat Agag Nuwayhed (The Memoirs of Agag Nuwayhed), edited by Bayan Nuwayhed al-Hout, which illustrates the history of Palestine through the memoirs of Nuwayhed, an important Palestinian nationalist voice. The book traces his struggle for freedom from the beginning of the twentieth century to the Nakba in 1948. I had also finished recently reading another book by the same author: Sabra and Shatila, ailoul 1982, which appeared last year in an English translation from Pluto Press under the title Sabra and Shatila: September 1982. The book contains documents on the Sabra and Shatila massacres in Lebanon in 1982. Bayan Nuwayhed al-Hout, a serious researcher, has spent 20 years researching and scrutinising data on this event, and this 900-page book contains interviews with the victims of the massacres and their families, as well as material that exposes to the world the brutality of Israeli settlers on the West Bank. The book is an alarm call to all those calling for normalisation with Israel. "I have also just finished Thaqafit al-istislam (The Culture of Surrender) by Belal El-Hassan. This is a reaction to the vision adopted by people like Kanan Makiya and others calling for neo-liberalism in politics. However, although the theme of the book is timely, the book as a whole is rather disappointing. It is written in a journalistic style, and it does not refer sufficiently to original documents." Mourid El-Barghouti Poet "I have started reading Elfriede Jelinek's The Piano Teacher, translated recently into Arabic. The novel is a very valuable one, though I find it difficult to grasp its disturbingly intricate details. Unlike other writers, I find summer to be an excellent time for me to write. I am about to finish a novel to be called Daqqat al-toboul (Drum Beats), which deals with the contemporary Arab scene. "Whenever I have the chance to spend the summer with the family outside Cairo, I never read a single line, not even to browse through newspapers or magazines. I become single- minded in my attention to the place I am in, contemplating every detail of it. However, I would recommend Paulo Cohelo's novels as the kind of light reading that could be done during the long days of summer. His works remind me of the detective novels of Georges Simenon, my favourite author when I was much younger. "I have also lately finished reading a valuable book by Raouf Abbas, a professor of history at Cairo University, called Mashainaha khotan (The Path We Trod). The book reveals some horrible stories of the corruption inside Egyptian universities, but the most interesting part of it concerns the author's personal life story. This is the story of a young man whose father was a worker on the railways and who faced terrible difficulties in completing his university education, as is the case with most Egyptian students who come from underprivileged backgrounds, including myself." Mohamed El-Bosati Fiction writer "I usually do not read the most recently published books and read instead those most closely related to my own research. One interesting book that I have read recently is A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn and translated into Arabic by Shaban Mekkawy. The book gives a very good view of the sources of popular culture in the United States using a post-modernist approach, and it advocates the point of view of the oppressed rather than that of the cultural establishment. "When I go on a summer vacation, I usually take children's books in English and Arabic, such as volumes from the Dr. Seuss series, as well as children's verse. This might seem strange, but I love to read to my grandchildren, and I also enjoy reading children's books. Without this kind of siesta, people would go mad! This kind of reading also inspires me with new ideas, as I also write stories for children. "This year, I am keen to catch up on the works of Egyptian novelists during the vacation, such as Ibrahim Abdel-Meguid, El-Bosati and Baha Taher. I do not generally plan future research during the summer, because I already have my agenda for the coming seven years. I do not want to extend things any further..." Abdel-Wahab Elmesseri Writer and Critic "I read most during the summers. Although I do not spend long periods at summer resorts, I keep a lot of books in my chalet on the Northern coast, and I have started reading the Arabic translation of Michel Foucault's History of Sexuality in three volumes. Reading Foucault has opened up new horizons for me, because he combines analysis and criticism with the use of documentary texts. "I also re-read Alm al-arqam a'ind al-Arab (The Arabs' Science of Numbers), a classic work published in Beirut by an anonymous author. The science of numbers is related to the study of the Ancient Egyptian heritage, the Ancient Egyptians having invented the science of numbers and passed it on to the Arabs. I also have a special interest in astronomy, and I read a huge number of studies on time. Time is a puzzle that has no answer. The study of time has helped human beings to understand their own existence and their relationship to the world." Gamal El-Ghitani Fiction writer "Over the last two months I have been busy reading about the French writer and philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, as I participated in celebrations to mark this year's centenary of his birth. I read dozens of articles published in French cultural journals and magazines on Sartre, such as in the journal Sartre himself founded, Les Temps modernes, as well as in Le Monde and L'Histoire, and these covered many aspects of the life and thought of this important thinker. It was also a pleasure for me to re-read Sartre's book Qu'est-ce que la littérature? (What is Literature?) The significance of Sartre, I believe, is that he was not only a philosopher. Rather, he was a multi-faceted thinker, and his intellectual activities were closely linked with everyday life and with political life. Indeed, the role Sartre played in French cultural life from the Second World War until his death in 1980 is a remarkable one. "I am also half way through a new Arabic translation of Charles Darwin's The Origin of Species. This book comes out at 900 pages in Arabic, and it has been translated by Magdy El-Melegy, a professor of Forensic Medicine at Ain Shams University in Cairo. As far as I know, this is the first time that this text has been translated in its entirety into Arabic, and it has been published by the Supreme Council for Culture's National Translation Project. I am very much interested in reading books related to the philosophy of science, or to cultural perspectives on the sciences. Science is a basic component of modern mentality, and it is an essential source for thinking in many domains and not only in strictly scientific ones. Darwin's work in particular has influenced thinking in areas as different as history, economics, religion, and traditional culture. For me, this new translation of The Origin of Species has triggered questions concerning the ways in which the Arabic language can adapt to modern scientific content and terminologies." Ahmed Abdel-Moeti Hegazi Poet "I have not developed any special summer reading habits. However, I remember that when I was much younger I used to read detective novels during the summer vacations. "This reminds me of a novel I am currently reading: Angels and Demons by Dan Brown. The novel mixes the suspense of a detective novel with a rare skill in documentation. It's a kind of science-fiction story. What captured my interest in it was the writer's keenness to study and scrutinise the historical period he is writing about, as well as the many aspects of the different religious doctrines developed during that period. This kind of scrutiny is virtually absent in Arabic literature. "I am also fond of reading books of Arab heritage classics, and I recently started a volume called al-Faseeh wa fa'it al-fasseh ( Classical Arabic and Past Classical Arabic). This book, like other classical works on the language, makes connections between the different meanings of words, sorting out words that can be considered as authentic classical Arabic, or fusha, from those introduced into Arabic at a later date and therefore not fusha." Edwar El-Kharat Fiction writer "Reading is like creative writing: one can not just sit still one day and decide that this is the proper time for writing. So, I have never really scheduled books for the summer season. I view myself as an independent writer, and this has also determined my non-systematic approach to reading. Generally speaking, I hate the summer, and I much prefer the winter, which is a far more "fertile" season, both for creative work and for personal relationships. "I have recently read the second edition of Raouf Abbas's autobiography Mashainaha khotan (The Path We Trod), the title being derived from the words of a well-known poem by Abul Alaa. However, like its rather tired title, this poorly written biography contains little of interest. I was particularly irritated by the author's idea of himself as a heroic figure. Yet, what really disturbed me about this book was not the poor quality of the writing, but rather the fact that such writing should be apparently so popular. "I have also recently read the autobiography of Mahmoud El-Rabiee. The book is in two volumes: the first, Fil khamseen areftu tariki (In the Fifties I Found my Way), examines the author's earlier life, while the second, Ba'ad el-khamseen (After the Fifties), takes up the story since then. The book is a very rewarding read, particularly for anyone interested in the life of Egyptian universities and the sadly high levels of corruption in them. At the same time I was reading Abdel-Wahab Elmessiri's autobiography, Rehlati al-fikriyya: fi al-bozor, wa al-gozour, wa al-thamar (My Intellectual Journey ... Seeds, Roots and Fruits), which is another important memoir by a leading intellectual. Published in 2000 by the General Organisation for Cultural Palaces, I can not understand why this significant book has not been more widely reviewed. In fact, reading autobiographies is one of my favourite occupations. Like reading novels, reading autobiographies makes me feel in some way linked to reality. "I also enjoy browsing through old papers, touching the texture of the old, yellowed pages. I am embarking on a plan to read the complete works of Tawfiq al-Hakim, in order to get a sense of the work of one of our greatest authors as a whole. It is no exaggeration to say that El-Hakim's work is one of the main pillars supporting contemporary Egyptian contemporary culture." Abdel-Moneim Ramadan Poet "I do not have the concept of summer reading. For me, reading is like breathing or listening to music. I usually read more than one book at the same time, depending on my mood and the subject of the book. At the moment, I am half way through Paulo Cohelho's latest novel The Zahir. The novel's title, which happens to be an Arabic word, is a little confusing: I have not been able to figure out whether Cohelho means "something that appears" or "something in bloom", which are both equivalents for the Arabic. "I think this novel will be my book for the summer. In it, Cohelho takes on the essential mystery of ordinary things in order to build up a glittering tale full of immense possibilities and startling insights. Through posing basic questions and attempting to find answers to them, Cohelho strives to grasp the essence of life. Although this is not the first novel by Cohelho that I have read, what strikes me most about it is the way that the author takes the reader on a journey to love, truth and light in an especially intriguing way. "A book that I have just finished reading is The Holocaust Industry by the Jewish scholar Norman Finkelstein. Although this is not a new book, I think that it retains its interest and significance. The book deals with the Holocaust from a critical point of view. Finkelstein's own parents were victims of the Holocaust, but he strongly believes that the Holocaust has been, and still is, used to further political and economic purposes. "I am also busy this summer reviewing my translation of Monsieur Ibrahim et les fleurs du Coran by Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt. Omar Sherif was in the film version of this novel, and he won a special prize at last year's Berlin Film Festival for his role." Mohamed Salmawy Playwright and novelist By Rania Khallaf
