Name: 鬲丨鬲 禺胤 丕賱賮賯乇
Rating: 3.47 (5 reviews)

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鬲丨鬲禺胤丕賱賮賯乇

廿丿乇賷爻毓賱賷, Idris Ali

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鈥淭his is your last day. Be strong. Don鈥檛 hesitate. Cut and run. An exit with no return.鈥� Idris Ali鈥檚 confessional novel opens with these words, spoken on an unbearably hot August afternoon in downtown Cairo, where the Nubian narrator has just decided, once and for all, to end his life. Delirious and thirsty, he wanders around venting his resentments large and small, his sexual frustrations, and his sense of powerlessness in the face of unremitting injustice. He seeks to expunge his failed life in the Nile: the river that had been the life blood of his country for millennia, and that鈥晈ith Egypt鈥檚 new dam鈥昻ow drowns Nubia, flinging her dispossessed sons north and south into exile. Many years ago, the narrator was one of those sons, fleeing flood and famine only to arrive in Cairo, penniless and shoeless, in time to see it go up in flames, the old regime overthrown by 鈥渢he men in tanks.鈥� Poor is the story of a life of hardship, adversity, and emotional starvation. It is also the story of opportunities squandered and hopes traded away for nothing鈥昽f a life lived, at times, all too poorly.

GenresEgyptLiterature

231 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

2 people are currently reading

173 people want to read

About the author

廿丿乇賷爻毓賱賷

11听books85听followers

賲賳賲賵丕賱賷丿 1940貙賮賷賯乇賷丞賯乇卮丞賮賷賲丿賷賳丞兀爻賵丕賳貙賵賮賷毓丕賲 1969 賳卮乇兀賵賱賯氐丞賮賷賲噩賱丞 "氐亘丕丨丕賱禺賷乇"貙賰賲丕氐丿乇鬲賱賴毓丿丞兀毓賲丕賱賲賳亘賷賳賴丕: "丕賳賮噩丕乇噩賲噩賲丞" 賵"丕賱賱毓亘賮賵賯噩亘丕賱丕賱賳賵亘丞".

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Steve

441 reviews568 followers

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July 25, 2016

Omar El-Nagdi (1994-5)

Murderous Africa, home of the sun and oppression and homicidal rulers: damned, desperate continent.

Raw pain and despair edging over into blasphemy and flagrant insults to the powers that be. If he were alive in today's Egypt, I fear Idris Ali (1940-2010) soon would not be. The narrator of Poor (2005) has abandoned all hope and is just looking to end it all in the Nile; the self-censoring exercised by the prudent in countries where the disagreeable are jailed, tortured and murdered(*) is tossed to the winds. Just consider for a moment this brief excerpt, one among many, many, many:

Death is the easiest solution. Easier than facing the tanks, the viciousness of the riot police, and the arrogance of State Security officers. They have always been the stronger. This is the difference between them and you. Is it really possible that they conquered an ancient nation with four thousand barefoot savages, then converted its language and religion? Al-Muqawqis - the Coptic patriarch who welcomed Islam into Egypt - was a traitor. But the Iberians were men and threw the Muslims back into the sea as the Prince sat on the shore, lamenting the loss of his dominion, his palaces, and his slave girls.

Suicidal.

George Bahgory (2011)

With a thick layer of irony no one could overlook, Ali distances himself from his narrator in a sort of foreword, but his own life enters into the text again and again, for also the narrator is a poor, dissident writer of Nubian descent whose father escaped to Cairo and left wife, mother and son behind without support. Even more than in his novel Dongola Ali indites Egypt for its treatment of the Nubians, submerging the heartlands of Nubia under Lake Nasser, taking "a nation of farmers and turn[ing] them into servants and doormen for your palaces and villas."

But there is nothing, in the end, geographically narrow about this text; in short, choppy sentences shot out under high pressure Ali's narrator bitterly recounts the fate of the underclass everywhere: to be stomped under the heels of the powerful and wealthy (and their eager representatives) and left to scramble for their scraps, grateful for whatever falls to the floor. The few who do not conform with this role are simply crushed.(**) Here this universally valid schema is fleshed out with the special story of a proud and impulsive boy of ten trying to escape the hunger in Nubia by stowing away on boats and trains to get to Cairo in the hope that his life may be better with his father in the worst slum of the city. Most of the book is filled with an engaging coming of age story of the rebellious, dreaming boy who became the disillusioned, bitter narrator, but along the way the reader meets with the cultural and social realities of modern Egypt, from the disillusioned hopes of the 1952 revolution, when the old, untouchable power was just replaced by a new, untouchable power without making a jot of difference in the lives of the overwhelming majority of the people, to the fervent nationalism of the 1956 Suez Crisis.

It wouldn't hurt to know a bit about recent Egyptian history to fully appreciate this book, but it's not essential, since Poor can be read as a Kafkaesque allegory in which one does not need to know that "the Prince" refers to Anwar Sadat, that the "League of Idiot Tribes" is the League of Arab States, that the "International Ruination Fund" is the IMF, etc. The bitter bite (and truth) of the text is not lost without these identifications, and the densely realized coming of age story surely appeals to all.

(*) Frankly, I'm not sanguine about the survival of freedom of expression under an orangely glowing President who admires rulers like Putin and Erdogan and repeats, again and again, "I alone," whose minions clamor for his political opponent to be jailed and whose campaign aide proclaims that she should be shot as a traitor. The danger is no longer merely theoretical and my interest in this text by Ali goes well beyond mere curiosity.

(**) One wonders how long it will take for the white working class in America to realize that Trump and Thiel give a damn about it only insofar as they need its votes and money. "Billionaire populist" is a quintessential oxymoron.

arabic egypt

Walid Elalfy

158 reviews117 followers

October 15, 2011

賳賮爻氐乇禺賴丕賱賮賯乇賱賲丨賲丿卮賰乇賶賮賶丕賱禺亘夭丕賱丨丕賮賶 . 氐乇丕毓賲賳丕噩賱賯賱賷賱賲賳丕賱胤毓丕賲賱爻丿賯爻賵賴丕賱噩賵毓
賳賮爻賯爻賵賴丕賱丕亘賳賮爻丕賱鬲卮乇丿賵賳賮爻丕賱禺胤丕賱亘賷丕賳賶賵賳賮爻丕賱賮卮賱賮賶丕賱鬲毓賱賷賲賵賱賰賳賴丕賲鬲賱丕賰賲賮乇丿丕鬲賱睾賵賷賴睾丕賷賴賮賶丕賱賯賵賴賵丕賱賯爻賵賴賮賶賳賮爻丕賱賵賯鬲 . 丨賷丕賴丕賱氐毓丕賱賷賰孬賲乇睾亘賴卮丿賷丿賴賮賶丕賱丕賳鬲丨丕乇 .
丨鬲賶賳賮爻丕賱丕賱賮丕馗丕賱爻賵賯賷賴
賱丕丕丿乇賶丕賳賰丕賳鬲賯賵丕毓丿賲丕賷賰鬲亘賵賱丕賲丕賱丕賷賰鬲亘賯丿丕賳鬲賴鬲丕賲賱丕責
賲丨賲丿賴丕卮賲氐丕丨亘丿丕乇賲賷乇賷鬲賳卮乇丕賱賰鬲丕亘賰賲丕賴賵亘丕賱賮丕馗賴丕賱賯亘賷丨賴賵丕賱丕賳毓乇賮鬲賱賲丕匕丕賲賳毓賮鬲乇賴胤賵賷賱賴
賲賳丕賱丕賯鬲亘丕爻丕鬲

鬲囟丨賰丨賷賳賷卮賷毓賵賳亘丕賳丕賱丕卮噩丕乇鬲賲賵鬲賵丕賯賮賴 . 賰賱丕賲卮毓丕乇丕鬲 . 鬲賲賵鬲賵丕賯賮賴丕賵乇丕賰毓賴丕賵賲賳亘胤丨賴 . 賲丕鬲鬲賵丕賱爻賱丕賲 , 丕賳鬲賴鬲 , 賱丕賯賷賲賴賱賴丕 . 爻鬲鬲丨賵賱丕賱賶禺卮亘丕賵賵賯賵丿賵賱賳鬲孬賲乇 . 賵鬲爻兀賱丕賱毓賲賴賲賳噩賵丕賶氐丕丨亘丕賱毓亘丕乇賴丕賱卮賴賷乇賴 : 賲賳丕賱賲賲賰賳爻丨賯丕賱丕賳爻丕賳 .. 賱賰賳賴夭賷賲鬲賴睾賷乇賲賲賰賳賴 " 亘丕賱匕賲賴丿賴賰賱丕賲責" 賮賲丕丕賱匕賶賷亘賯賶賲賳丕賱丕賳爻丕賳亘毓丿丕賱爻丨賯責丕賷乇賯氐賵賴賵賷賳夭賮責丕賷囟丨賰賵賴賵鬲丨鬲丕賱丕賯丿丕賲責丕賷乇賮毓丕氐亘毓賷賴亘毓賱丕賲賴丕賱賳氐乇賵賴賵賲賴夭賵賲賰賲丕賷賮毓賱丨賰丕賲丕賱毓丕賱賲丕賱賲鬲禺賱賮賴丕鬲賮賷賳 : 丕賳鬲氐乇賳丕丕賳鬲氐乇賳丕 . 賵丕匕丕鬲噩丕賵夭鬲賴匕丕賰賱賴 , 賮賷賲賳賮爻乇賳賴丕賷鬲賰賷丕毓賲賴賲賳噩賵丕賶責賮賶鬲氐賵乇賶 .. 丕賱丕賳鬲丨丕乇賲賵賯賮卮噩丕毓賳亘賷賱 , 丕賲丕賲丨賷丕賴賲夭毓噩賴賮賲賳丕賱賳亘賱丕賳鬲乇丨賱毓賳丿賲丕鬲乇賷丿 . 賱丕賳丕賱丕賵睾丕丿賱丕賷賳鬲丨乇賵賳 , 丕賳賲丕賷賮乇賵賳賲賳丕賱爻賮賳丕賱睾丕乇賯賴賵賷鬲卮亘孬丕賱丕睾亘賷丕亍亘丕賱爻賮賷賳賴賵賷睾賵氐賵賳賲毓賴丕賵賷賵氐賮賵賳亘毓丿匕賱賰亘丕丕賱丕亘胤丕賱 . 亘賷賳賲丕賷賮乇丕賱丕賵睾丕丿亘丕賱睾賳賷賲賴賱賷賵丕氐賱賵丕賮爻丕丿賴賲賵丕賮爻丕丿賴賲賲賳賲賵丕賯毓丕禺乇賶 . 賴賲丕賱匕賷賳賯丕賱賵丕 " 丕匕丕噩丕賱賰丕賱胤賵賮丕賳丨胤丕亘賳賰鬲丨鬲乇噩賱賷賰 " 賵賷賱賵賰丕賱亘爻胤丕亍卮毓丕乇丕鬲賴賲丕賱賯丿賷賲
, 丕賱賵胤賳 . 丕賱賲賯丕賵賲賴 . 丕賱鬲乇丕亘 . 丕賱鬲氐丿賶賲毓丕賳賴賱賲賷毓丿賴賳丕賰賲丕賷爻鬲丨賯卮乇賮丕賱賲賯丕賵賲賴亘毓丿丕賳亘丕毓賵丕丕賱賵胤賳賵賰賱賲丕賷賲賰賳亘賷毓賴 , 丕賱賯囟賷賴 , 丕賱丕乇囟 , 丨鬲賶賲賵丕賯毓賰賲丕賱賮賯賷乇賴 !!

Kenneth Cooper

8 reviews2 followers

April 13, 2008

A very dark novel that plumbs the profound sense of dispossession that many Nubians feel since their homeland was flooded by the Aswan High Dam.

nubian-literature

Karim Fareed

1 review32 followers

March 17, 2017

亘丿丕賷丞賲賳丕賱賮氐賱丕賱孬丕賳賶鬲亘丿兀賲鬲毓丞丕賱丨賰賶賵丕賱丨賰丕賷丕鬲賵丕賱賱睾丞丕賱爻賴賱丞丕賱賲賲鬲賳毓丞毓賱賶丕賱賰孬賷乇賷賳丕賱亘爻賷胤丞丕賱爻賱爻丞亘賷丿丕賱賰丕鬲亘丕賱匕賶毓噩賳賴丕毓賱賶賲賴賱賱賷禺乇噩賱賳丕乇睾賷賮禺亘夭胤丕夭噩賵爻胤噩賵毓丕賱丨賰丕賷丞兀賵爻兀賯賵賱丕賱丨賰丕賷丕鬲丕賱賲毓賱賯丞亘賷賳賲丕囟賶丕賱賯乇賷丞丕賱賳賵亘賷丞丕賱睾丕乇賯丞賵賵丨卮賷丞丕賱賯丕賴乇丞賵卮賵丕乇毓賴丕賵胤賷亘鬲賴丕賵賯爻賵鬲賴丕賮賶毓賷賵賳丕賱胤賮賱丕賱賳賵亘賶丕賱賴丕乇亘賲賳亘賱丕丿賷丨亘賴丕乇賰囟丕賵乇丕亍兀丨賱丕賲亘毓賷丿丞鬲賰爻乇鬲賮賵賯氐禺乇丞丕賱賵丕賯毓賷賴賵丕賱胤亘賯賷丞賵丕賱噩賵毓.