Democracy is the Answer - Egypt`s Years of Revolution

Aran Byrne, Alaa Al Aswany, Russell Harris, Paul Naylor, Sarah Cleave

ISBN 10: 1909942715 / ISBN 13: 9781909942714

Published by Gingko Library, 2014

About this Item

As the Egyptian revolution unfolded throughout 2011 and the ensuing years, no one was better positioned to comment on it - and try to push it in productive directions - than best-selling novelist and political commentator Alba Al Aswany. For years a leading critic of the Mubarak regime, Al Aswany used his weekly newspaper column for Al-Masry Al-Youm to propound the revolution's ideals and to confront the increasingly troubled politics of its aftermath. This book presents, for the first time in English, all of Al Aswany's columns from the period, a comprehensive account of the turmoil of the post-revolutionary years, and a portrait of a country and a people in flux. Each column is presented along with a context - setting introduction, as well as notes and a glossary, all designed to give non-Egyptian readers the background they need to understand the events and figures that Al Aswany chronicles. The result is a definitive portrait of Egypt today - how it got here, and where it might be headed.

Seller Inventory # 0055574

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Democracy is the Answer - Egypt`s Years of Revolution
• Publisher: Gingko Library
• Publication Date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1909942715
• ISBN 13: 9781909942714
• Binding: Hardback
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

Four years before the Egyptian revolution in January 2011 Alaa Al Aswany, author of the bestselling novel The Yacoubian Building, had been a critic of the Mubarak regime. When the revolution broke out he was among the first in Tahrir Square calling for democratic reform and demanding that Hosni Mubarak stand down. Since then he has continued, through his popular weekly column for the newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm, to propund the ideals of the January 2011 revolution, embodied by the young protestors who risked everything to occupy Tahrir by his side. In his 150 articles for this newspaper over the ensuing three years collected and translated here for the first time Al Aswany confronts the crucial issues of the day head-on, as an increasingly stratified and divided country has sought to agree a constitution and elect a democratic government. His journalism has given him an opportunity to expose the instances of corruption, brutality, police negligence and judicial and religious interference that have plagued the everyday lives of the Egyptian people. His columns provide a comprehensive chronicle of the post-revolutionary years of turmoil and present a portrait of a country and people in flux. Divided into three parts the chaotic aftermath of the revolution; Mohamed Morsi s election, tenure as President and overthrow; as well as the election of Abdel Fattah al-Sisi Democracy is the Answer is a definitive reader on Egypt s years of upheaval by one of the Middle East s foremost political voices.

About the Author

Alaa Al Aswany originally trained as a dentist, and still has his own dental practice in Cairo. He worked for many years in The Yacoubian Building in Cairo, which have its name to his debut novel. The Yacoubian Building was longlisted for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 2006, has sold over one million copies worldwide, and was the bestselling novel in the Arab world for over five years. Al Aswany is also the author of Chicago (named by Newsday as the best translated novel of 2006) and Friendly Fire. His work has been translated in over 30 languages and published in over 100 countries. He speaks Arabic, English, French and Spanish. He has received many awards internationally, including the Bashrahil Award for the Arabic novel, the Kafavis Award from Greece, and the Grinzane Cavour Award from Italy. He was recently named by The Times as one of the best 50 authors to have been translated into English in the last 50 years.