Book set in Cairo, Egypt. Reviewed on 2019/08: https://www.instagram.com/p/B1jI4HvANwM/
#ahmednaji has the distinction of being the only #egyptianwriter in the country’s modern history to have been #imprisoned for his work. He served two years and after some kafkaesque ups and downs he was allowed to leave the country in 2018. So what did write that got him into so much trouble? He dared to describe the world as he saw it. #usinglife is a grotesque and raw account of every single malaise afflicting Egyptians: poverty, sexual frustration, corruption, abuse of power, lack of justice, and so many more. #najiuses both a traditional storytelling prose and #graphicnovel to tell his story. He is above all an #agentprovocateur and is bound to insult and enrage pretty much every single group in the #egyptiansociety: those abusing their power, yes, but also those passively, quietly and implicitly giving up. Of course this book was translated and published by the amazing people at the #centerformiddleeasternstudies of the #universityoftexasataustin . They are one of the rare publishers in this country interested in “controversial” contemporary books coming out from the Middle East. At the end, this book remains true to its readers: the Egyptian people. I’m sure there are millions of other important details which only the people living in #cairo can decode. #highlyrecommended #egyptianliterature#troublemakers #socialcritique #dissent#politicalparody #bannedbooks #القاهرة
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