al-Qāhirah, Bārīs, Milbūrn : riwāyah
Issue Details: First known date: 2005... 2005 القاهرة باريس ملبورن : رواية
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

Cairo Paris Melbourne is three novels in one. The original Arabic language novel established Elsaoud's literary reputation. Set against the backdrop of Middle Eastern wars from 1967 to 2003, its Dickensian characters and acute social concerns assume new poignancy in light of today's Arab Spring.

Zoheir struggles to escape the poverty of the 'City of the Dead'. Ghosts torment his childhood. Family, friends and villains that populate his world are evoked brilliantly through his young eyes. He learns of love and brutality quickly. Entering adolescence he yearns for another place, where he can find his purpose. He secures a visa to Paris in a comic tour de force, cleverly exposing corruption in Cairo.

In France he is an immigrant worker, travelling with fellow Egyptians and reading Hamlet. He falls for the fascinating and destructive Caroline, holds a forged passport and is soon on the run from drug dealers in the Algerian quarter of Paris. Struggling with the chasm between East and West, fate leads him towards treachery, arrest and, eventually, Melbourne. Living above a café in Fitzroy, Zoheir descends into meaninglessness, yet finally finds an unexpected reason for living, one both redemptive and all consuming. -- [From the back cover]

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

Language: Arabic
Note: Translated from the Arabic by Ahmed Fathy and the author, with assistance from Graham Henderson.
Alternative title: Cairo Paris Melbourne
    • Fitzroy North, Fitzroy - Collingwood area, Melbourne - North, Melbourne, Victoria,: Black Pepper , 2012 .
      Extent: vii, 333 p.p.
      Description: 1 port.
      Note/s:
      • This project has been assisted by the Australia Council.
      ISBN: 9781876044756 (pbk.)

Works about this Work

Flying By the Seat Your Pants Anna Couani , 2012 single work review
— Appears in: Rochford Street Review , May-July no. 4 2012;

— Review of القاهرة باريس ملبورن : رواية Maher Abou Elsaoud , 2005 single work novel
New Australian Fiction Ed Wright , 2012 single work review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 9-10 June 2012; (p. 23)

— Review of The Boy Who Fell to Earth Kathy Lette , 2012 single work novel ; Running Dogs Ruby Murray , 2012 single work novel ; القاهرة باريس ملبورن : رواية Maher Abou Elsaoud , 2005 single work novel
New Australian Fiction Ed Wright , 2012 single work review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 9-10 June 2012; (p. 23)

— Review of The Boy Who Fell to Earth Kathy Lette , 2012 single work novel ; Running Dogs Ruby Murray , 2012 single work novel ; القاهرة باريس ملبورن : رواية Maher Abou Elsaoud , 2005 single work novel
Flying By the Seat Your Pants Anna Couani , 2012 single work review
— Appears in: Rochford Street Review , May-July no. 4 2012;

— Review of القاهرة باريس ملبورن : رواية Maher Abou Elsaoud , 2005 single work novel
Last amended 14 Jan 2013 08:57:00
Settings:
  • Cairo,
    c
    Egypt,
    c
    North Africa, Africa,
  • Melbourne, Victoria,
  • Paris,
    c
    France,
    c
    Western Europe, Europe,
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