On the yacoubian building, we witnessed the government oppression at its best. All manner of flawed and fragile humanity reside in the yacoubian building, a onceelegant. This example of bribery is a larger example of politcal corruption in egypt. Susan my favorite was busayna because i could very slightly identify with some of her predicament in the workplace from long, long ago. If youd had twenty thousand pounds and used them to bribe someone, do you think any one would have asked about your fathers job. A feminist perspective of egypts yacoubian building written by. Come browse our large digital warehouse of free sample essays.
Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Night by elie wiesel, a three year old saves his mother by peter gorog and jakobs story by jakob blankitny are great examples of where compassion is necessary to fight the despair in heartbreaking situations. Read this essay on the yacoubian building by alaa alaswani a story of social decay. The yacoubian building notes of a spurkahye finally come. Prostitutes were given permits and had to be checked for disease every week.
The building doesnt talk, of course, but it shelters the many people whose lives the book recounts. Alaa elaswany, who is a dentist, does not shy away from weaving sordid tales of political corruption, sexuality and torture in his story. The film is based on the bestselling novel by alaa alaswany. A theme may come also through as the result of a buildup like the gradual realization that war is tragic and not noble. But in the yacoubian building, an apartment complex on a downtown street tells the story of a whole nation.
This controversial bestselling novel in the arab world reveals the political corruption, sexual repression, religious extremism, and modern hopes of egypt today. A novel and join the genius community of scholars to learn the meaning behind the words. Egyptian sexuality in the 90s homosexuality was a taboo prostitution was made legal in late 18s up to early 19s. Omaret yakobean still succeeds as an uncommonly bold meditation on many controversial, clandestine aspects of modern egyptian life. While it was commendable how the film stuck closely with the. Erected in the mid 1930s in cairos newly europeanized centre, the building is an architectural jewel, and.
First published in arabic, alaa alaswanys 2002 novel the yacoubian building revolves around the lives of people in a modern society at cairo, where greed for wealth, social and political power is presented as the main problem facing the people of egypt, several years after independence and revolution. By alaa al aswany, the american university in cairo press, 2004, 245 pp. This tenstory structure, i found, has a lot to say. The stylistic device implemented is common in todays hollywood. The book was made into a film of the same name in 2006 and into a tv series in 2007 published in arabic in 2002 and in an english translation in 2004, the book, ostensibly set in 1990 at about the time of the first gulf war, is a roman a clef and scathing. The yacoubian building, an immense scandal when first published because of its sexual frankness, has topped bestseller lists for two years and is now a film with a hollywoodsize budget. A rare and penetrating look into modern egyptian society can be found in alaa al aswanys novel, the yacoubian building. The yacoubian building a sprawling, starstudded epic that spans all social classes in todays cairo, the yacoubian building distinguishes itself both as. The yacoubian building by alaa alaswany 2006 not even past. It tells the story of life in cairo through several interwoven narratives. Following that lead, the yacoubian building is filled with sexual harassment, promiscuity, homosexuality, and even pedophilia, all described in graphic detail. This country doesnt belong to usit belongs to the people who have money.
Alaa al aswanys novel the yacoubian building describes a beautiful building, combining french and greek architecture in grandiose statues and balconies, in the novel we follow the lives of those who live and work together in a building of the same name. Yacoubian building houses uncomfortable truths the controversial, bestselling egyptian novel the yacoubian building describes a country that is corrupt, unfair and thuggish. The yacoubian building of the title is a microcosm of much of cairo, and in telling the stories of various of its denizens alaa al aswany offers a colourful picture of contemporary egypt. Sex and the city, egyptianstyle books the guardian. Hi, i have only read one egyptian novel, the yacoubian building. Alaa alaswanys novel the yacoubian building 2002, arabic. The yacoubian building provides a glimpse into the complicated lives of residents of an egyptian building. In yacoubian building, a richly layered tale of life in. Alaswanys novel first describes the yacoubian building as one of the most magnificent and luxurious building in the.
The yacoubian building by alaa al aswany in chm, epub, fb3 download ebook. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the yacoubian building. The yacoubian building by alaa al aswany goodreads. The yacoubian building amaret yacoubian september 20, 2006 posted by o. The film expresses all these elements through the lives of those who reside in the yacoubian building, representing segments within the egyptian society. The following are excerpts from the yacoubian building by egyptian author alaa al aswany. Maybe one of the first times i feel, see, and hear so much buzz about an arabic movie. The yacoubian building is established as a series of plays about characters whose destiny soon converge. Kareem fahmys new staging of the yacoubian building has the potential not only to revive the original novel, but also eclipse it as a transgressive, even revolutionary piece. The book focuses mainly on the residents of the yacoubian building, a oncechic but now rundown edifice that acts as a metaphor for cairos own deterioration.
This controversial bestselling novel in the arab world re. A kind gesture can reach a wound that only compassion can heal. It is also only as of late that authors and filmmakers have begun to examine the omnipotent presence of religion in their society. Both share central, overarching themes such as debauchery, desperation, and unstable political situations.
The residents of the yacoubian building hardly talk to each other, separated by the walls of the building. Aswany brings those who live and work there vibrantly alive. A good example is taha, who couldnt keep his job because of his social status. It has been reported to be the highestbudgeted film in the history of egyptian cinema. The yacoubian building by alaa alaswani a story of. For example, although it would be difficult to read this text as. But bleak and flawed as it is, the yacoubian building a. In the novels midaq alley and the yacoubian building, we are shown the ongoing, daily struggles of the workingpoor in both colonial and postcolonial egypt. The yacoubian building by alaa al aswany book quote. Swapna pisipati june 2nd, 2012 professor nagy int 399 the yacoubian building the yacoubian building is. In the yacoubian building, alaa al aswany creates a memorable cast of characters who, taken as a whole, may represent the range of groups or classes in contemporary egypt. In the course of this unforgettable novel, these disparate lives converge, careening inexorably toward an explosive conclusion. Alaa alaswanys novel the yacoubian building 2002, arabic tells the story of a group of people loosely bound together by dint of living in the same crumbling building a real place in downtown cairo.
The two settings are both examples of microcosms, cities within a city. Buy the yacoubian building reprint by aswany, alaa al, davies, humphrey isbn. The yacoubian building is fastmoving and actionpacked, with drama in every scene and shifts between the different strands used to provide tension. The yacoubian building omaret yakobean 2006 rotten. The yacoubian building in hebrew books the guardian. Harsh impact of dictatorship and corruption on citizens of all classes alaa al aswanis novel the yacoubian building weaves the lives together of residents of the titular building where wealthy residents live below. Yacoubian building by alaa alaswany 1102 words essay. Themes in the yacoubian building by lancelot naipierkane. An actual downtown cairo landmark called the yacoubian building is the books unifying element, housing all strata of egyptian society. This quote by steve maraboli may be hard to understand, but the holocaust texts. From the pious son of the buildings doorkeeper and the raucous, impoverished squatters on its roof, via the tattered aristocrat and the gay intellectual in its.
Yacoubian building by alaa alaswany 1102 words essay example. All content included on our site, such as text, images, digital downloads and other, is the property of its content suppliers and protected by us and international laws. Most politicians criticized the book extensively, and asked for it to be banned, allegedly because it was giving the country a bad name spotlight. Economics in the yacoubian building gender in the egyptian 90s apartment vs. Livia beqo abstract the yacoubian building stands amid the smog and commotion of downtown cairo. Alaa alaswany is the bestselling author of three previous books published in arabic. Military coup led by muhammad naguib and gamal abdel nasser.
The apartment building exhibits the areas standard mixture of residential and commercial, its doorway plastered with signs and its first floor nothing but a row of typical and unremarkable small shops. However, the movement had more political ambitions, and soon moved to abolish the constitutional monarchy and aristocracy of egypt and sudan, establish a republic, end the british occupation of the country, and secure the independence of sudan. The rare privilege of reading the book was offered to expand cultural awareness and understanding in. I am not sure how representative it is of egyptian life handling themes of poverty, homosexuality, and islamic extremism but it was a very good read, and it was also made into a movie billed as the most expensive ever produced in egypt. The revolution was initially aimed at overthrowing king farouk. The yacoubian building holds all that egypt was and has become over the 75 years since its namesake was built on one of downtown cairos main boulevards. He decided to write one last novel, the yacoubian building, and attempt to have it. A theme may show up in a pattern such as reoccurring examples of beauty in simplicity. Nestled along downtown cairos busy talat haarb street, the yacoubian building is easy to miss. As a refresher, a brief summary of characters and ke.
Featured content includes commentary on major characters, 25 important quotes, essay topics, and key themes like hidden lives and wealth inequality. Nice example, the mothers advice speaks to a society where the. She hadmore my favorite was busayna because i could very slightly identify with some of her predicament in the workplace from long, long ago. It is often a lesson that we learn about life or people. Based on the novel by the same title, the author dr. Themes and controversy the yacoubian building was branded a.
The yacoubian building is the sort of dense neighbourhood novel which, though quite out of style when set in london or. Primarily, the book majors on the residents of the yacoubian building. In the hot evenings of autumn 2002, cairos streetside cafes were packed with. View notes the yacoubian building final paper from ant 240 at depaul university. Sometimes, discussing the political or social or other themes in a novel and crediting those for its. I liked the yacoubian building, he continued, because it presented a true picture of egypt today. Published in 2002 in its original arabic edition, the yacoubian building is a novel by egyptian author alaa al aswany. A feminist perspective of egypts yacoubian building issuu. Examples of compassion in night by elie wiesel 825 words. Alaa al aswanys the yacoubian building 2002, which became a bestselling egyptian and arab novel worldwide in the past decade, owes its title to the ambition of an armenian millionaire who wanted immortality through a building that bears his name.
In their stead, a new breed of cairenes has moved in. Although set in the 1990s and published in 2002, alaa al aswanys novel the yacoubian building conveys the corruption and brutality that led to explosive revolutions in egypt from 2011. Al aswany highlights four broad themes that affect all levels of egytian life. The major political theme of the yaucobian building is politcal corruption in egypt during the 1990s 1997 steadystabilizing economic build until 1997 when the luxour terrorist attacks caused a decline in tourism, and the asian financial turmoil. He came from a very poor background and the moment they found out. The book was also adapted into a film, the highest grossing film ever made in egypt. This is particularly true when adapting a book into a screenplay and then into a film, all the more so when that novel has gained a great deal. Set in the late 20th century egypt, after the egyptian revolution of 1952, the yacoubian building started filling up with people from egypts lower class, while some others from the upper and middle classes stayed put. Tragicomic, passionate, shockingly frank in its sexuality, and brimming with an extraordinary, embracing human compassion, the yacoubian building is a literary achievement of the first order. Imarat yaqubyan is a novel by egyptian author alaaalaswany. Objectification of women, class system, and modernization are themes in the novel that represent the side of arab society that is hidden from the. The novel described the yacoubian building as one of the most luxurious and prestigious apartment blocks in cairo following its construction. Set in an actual building in downtown cairo, the controversial bestseller weaves together the lives of several characters to create a.
The author alaa al aswany uses the book to reveal the despicable cairo where corruption is propagated in daily activities. The yacoubian building final paper swapna pisipati june. She had practicality and perseverance despite her setbacks. A conversation with alaa alaswany on the yacoubian building.