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Sale

The Yacoubian Building

by Alaa Al Aswany
Save up to 34%
The Yacoubian Building - Thryft
The Yacoubian Building - Thryft

Microcosm of modern Egypt through vivid characters.

If you're looking to immerse yourself in the complexities of Egyptian life, this book is your gateway. 'The Yacoubian Building' weaves personal stories that collectively depict the social and political fabric of contemporary Cairo. Al Aswany's rich portrayal of diverse characters offers a deeply human perspective on the country's transformation, enlightening and engaging in equal measure. It's a literary journey that promises to strike a chord if you're interested in the intersection of personal narratives and broad societal shifts.

  • Independent Foreign Fiction Prize Nominee for Longlist (2008)
  • Premio Euskadi de Literatura for Traduccion (2012)
  • Premio Grinzane Cavour Nominee for Narrativa Straniera (2007)
Note: While we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.
Sale

The Yacoubian Building

by Alaa Al Aswany
Save up to 34%
Condition guide

Book Condition Guide

Books in Like New Condition

This book may contain very minor cosmetic defects, but it is in pristine condition. There should be no yellowing, no foxing, no water damage, and no annotations of any kind on the cover and the pages. For paperbacks, there should not be any crease marks on the spine. This book is good as new — lucky you!

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

Books in Very Good Condition

This book has been used, but it is still in a clean condition. There should be no foxing or annotations of any kind on the inner pages, but a sparse amount may be present on the cover, title pages, or outside edges of the book. There should be no water damage of any kind. For paperbacks, there may be light crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

Books in Good Condition

We do our best to ensure the quality of our books, but there is no escaping the wear and tear that comes with time. Slight foxing and some annotations may be present on the pages and the cover. There should be no water damage of any kind. For paperbacks, there may be several crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

Books in Well Read Condition

This is a well-read book, which means that the previous owner probably really enjoyed it! The cover and pages may include moderate foxing and annotations, but the text is not obscured and still readable. Moderate cosmetic defects and minor water damage may be present on the edges of the book. For paperbacks, there may be multiple crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

 

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ISBN: 9789774248627
Authors: Alaa Al Aswany
Publisher: The American University in Cairo Press
Date of Publication: 2004-01-01
Format: Hardcover
Related Collections: Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Contemporary
Related Topics: Literature, Society, Political Science
Goodreads rating: 3.7
(rated by 21554 readers)

Description

The Yacoubian Building holds all that Egypt was and has become over the 75 years since its namesake was built on one of downtown Cairo's main boulevards. From the pious son of the building's doorkeeper and the raucous, impoverished squatters on its roof, via the tattered aristocrat and the gay intellectual in its apartments, to the ruthless businessman whose stores occupy its ground floor, each sharply etched character embodies a facet of modern Egypt -- where political corruption, ill-gotten wealth, and religious hypocrisy are natural allies, where the arrogance and defensiveness of the powerful find expression in the exploitation of the weak, where youthful idealism can turn quickly to extremism, and where an older, less violent vision of society may yet prevail. Alaa Al Aswany's novel caused an unprecedented stir when it was first published in 2002 and has remained the world's best selling novel in the Arabic language since.
 

Microcosm of modern Egypt through vivid characters.

If you're looking to immerse yourself in the complexities of Egyptian life, this book is your gateway. 'The Yacoubian Building' weaves personal stories that collectively depict the social and political fabric of contemporary Cairo. Al Aswany's rich portrayal of diverse characters offers a deeply human perspective on the country's transformation, enlightening and engaging in equal measure. It's a literary journey that promises to strike a chord if you're interested in the intersection of personal narratives and broad societal shifts.

  • Independent Foreign Fiction Prize Nominee for Longlist (2008)
  • Premio Euskadi de Literatura for Traduccion (2012)
  • Premio Grinzane Cavour Nominee for Narrativa Straniera (2007)
Note: While we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.