I read (Zaat) right away after and it was a perfect timing , like theory and application ! true I saw the corruption in my country as a matter of fact that lead to the revolution , but with these two books I discovered the roots from more than 4 decades .
(Zaat) is my first read to the author , his original Egyptian poignant / sarcastic style was an enjoyable reading and a surprise for me . (Zaat) is not a novel as much as it is diaries; dual Reciprocal diaries shown in Sequence parts, the first is for Egypt in the form of journalistic or documentary quotes to reflect the general atmosphere since the 70s (but the concentration was on the 80s) . there are no comments by the author , letting linking the quotes speak for itself - (the important is the whole image not the parts that any lacks accuracy) . the other line is the heroine (Zaat) and her middle class family with their synchronous human crushing 鈥hy the name Zaat (=self) ? I am not sure , she is not special at all , she is almost a prototype but maybe that what the name is about ? the title gives the impression of a feminine heroism , but even that we live with her life , thoughts and dreams , we feel it is a couple story , since the gradual and total destruction of (Abd elmajeed / husband) until the end was a main or even a core of the novel .
One of the most important element in the novel is the growth of the religion stream and the Sectarian strife prospering ! I admit I never knew about its strength (did not feel it around me), I never even believe it has that darkness, was it really that way? Is it now? To where then?
Thank God I read this novel after the revolution, otherwise I would have ended up with a incurable depression. for me now it is an analytical explanation not a Stifling reality , even if the actual reality is still blurring and misty .
About the time the recent Egyptian drama was settling in on Cairo鈥檚 Tahrir Square, I came across an article on Egyptian writers and their travails in this deeply censored nation. Among the number of Egyptian writers listed was Ibrahim, who has been at the forefront of challenges to Egypt鈥檚 literary censorship, so I opted for this book, the centerpiece of his work.
Zaat is a story of a modern Egyptian wife, a middle class woman of no great thought or talent, it appears, married to Abdel Maguid, a man of no great achievement, and a stereotypically modern, Middle Eastern male chauvinist. He ends up in jail, and Zaat must deal with Egyptian life鈥檚 many incongruities 鈥� among them trying to gaint recompense for spoiled food she鈥檚 been sold.
Interspersed with Zaat鈥檚 story are listings Ibrahim has taken from the various news media that, viewed in sequence without time鈥檚 diluting effect, depict a corruption of Egyptian society based in overlaps of religion, politics, culture and the influence of European and American businesses.
Ibrahim鈥檚 prose 鈥� or at least as it鈥檚 presented to readers in English by translator Anthony Calderbank 鈥� seems wooden, as formally rigid as a bureaucrat鈥檚 memos. But underlying this there鈥檚 an anger tempered somewhat by a sly, sometimes sarcastic wit. Zaat鈥檚 story isn鈥檛 an inspiring one, nor is it meant to be 鈥� it鈥檚 an unvarnished view of modern Egyptian life and what makes it so humdrum.
Clearly, the society Ibrahim reveals 鈥� its prejudices, suspicions, external influences and aspirations for the future - are all part of the mix that recently brought down Hosni Mubarak.
It鈥檚 import to American, even European readers? This conflation of religion and business that has ruled over and depressed Egyptian government and the lives of most of Egypt鈥檚 population could ruin ours as well. To take the U.S.'s current political, social and economic pulse today to the extreme would seem to result in an Americanized version of Ibrahim's Egypt. The way out of this precipitous spiral for the U.S. need not be revolution, but that way out isn't yet clear.
I actually had the opportunity to meet the author while I was studying abroad in Cairo. He's quite a brilliant writer and very well respected in Egypt--especially as he operates outside of the "literary establishment."
Zaat tells the story of an average woman's life in Cairo. Many Arab authors, such as Naguib Mahfouz, tend to focus more on the middle-class, yet this novel centers around a female from the lower class. The book is extremely witty and satirical, as it offers some scathing observations about Egyptian society. Along with the story of Zaat's life are pieces from newspaper clippings that the author has collected. These newspaper clippings involve government mismanagement, corruption, increasing influence of the West, and the rise of political Islam. Thus, the life of the female character is again made parallel to the life of the nation. Definitely an interesting read, although the clippings can get a bit repetitive.