AFTER a decade of obscurity, authors of scientific and technical books now appear to be outshining poets and novelists. It's also surprising that, despite his peace-loving sermon in Cairo last year not living up to its expectations, US President Barack Obama's book Dreams from My Father has been attracting the attention of Egyptian buyers. It was the book The Age of Science by Egypt's Nobel laureate Ahmed Zowail, which inspired schoolchildren and undergraduates to read more scientific literature. One man who works for a publishing house told the press that writers of scientific works have done far better than ever before in this year's Cairo International Book Fair, which ended on February 13. The curious change of mood this year among bookworms was reported by publishers and their salespeople, while totting up their sales on the last day of the 42nd Cairo's International Book Fair. The A/H1N1 pandemic is probably why the book, which allegedly predicts the outbreak of this plague long before it happened, sold so well. The legendary physicist Einstein also proved immensely popular with Egyptian readers this year. What helped the sales of scientific books was if they had a glossy cover and were reasonably cheap. As far as Egyptian authors were concerned, Ahmed el-Assili, a radio presenter, beat the odds when his book Kitab Malhoush Ism (An Unnamed Book) was ranked among the 10 best-selling titles at the fair, which wrapped up last week. In the meantime, to the discontent of bishops in the Coptic Orthodox Church, there was a long queue of buyers for Azazil and Arab Theology, two books written by Egyptian Muslim philosophy professor Youssef Zeidan. Meanwhile, certain novelists and satirists, who have become extraordinarily popular in Egypt and the Arab region over the past few years, also got a pat on the back from their publishers. They were led by A'laa Al-Aswani, a dentist by profession and the author of The Yaacoubian Building, which allegedly delves into the private lives of real people living in a real building in downtown Cairo, that belonged to an Armenian man in the mid-20th century. His odyssey has been translated into many foreign languages. Al-Aswani, who is also a political activist, did very well at this year's fair with Do We Deserve Democracy? Satirist Bilal Fadl, who is also the scriptwriter of several Egyptian comic films, was also among the best-selling Egyptian authors with his latest book, Dehk Magruh (A Chagrined Laugh). Apparently, the rising tide of religious feelings among Egyptian Muslims was reflected in the increasing demands for books authored by prominent thinkers and preachers. For example, Reflections on the Holy Qur'an by Zaghloul Al-Nagar was snapped by veiled girls and women, as well as bearded young men. Anumber of young authors also fared well, with many punters …quot; out of curiosity …quot; rushing to purchase their first publications.
