Egyptian Earth

(Paperback)

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Description

A twelve-year old boy returns to his village from school in Cairo to find the community torn by feud and fear. Working together, the young, old, men and women in the village discover that despite high rents, low wages, a greedy ruling-class, and attractive distractions, if you are faithful to the land, it will care for you. Egyptian Earth is an epic drama of great power. This compassionate and humorous tale of defiance is a masterpiece of modern Arabic literature.

Reviews

A remarkable and often funny book . . . A classic of modern Egyptian literature. * The Observer *
'A timeless masterpiece of Arabic literature an exceptional example of linguistic achievement and an emphatic declaration of resistance. -- The New Arab
'An acknowledged masterpiece of modern Arabic literature.' -- University Press Book News
'This is a classic novel, an achievement in fiction.' -- Race & Class
'Egyptian Earthdeserves renewed attention as a compelling contribution to international literature.' -- In These Times

Author Bio

Abdel Rahman al-Sharqawi (19201987) was born into a peasant family in the Egyptian province of Menoufia. He became widely known after the publication of his novel Egyptian Earth in 1954. His work is celebrated for its realism and commitment to social issues of the day. Al-Sharqawi founded the progressive journal Al-Katib and received the State Appreciation Award in Literature by the Egyptian government. Desmond Stirling Stewart was a British writer and journalist who worked for many years in Baghdad, Beirut, and Cairo. He wrote a number of books about Egyptian and Arabic culture and history, as well as several novels.