Alaa Al Aswany

Harriett Gilbert talks to acclaimed Egyptian writer Alaa Al Aswaany about his bestselling novel 'The Yacoubian Building'.

The Arab-world’s No. 1 bestseller for five years running after it was published in 2002, 'The Yacoubian Building' interweaves the stories of a group of diverse characters who live and work in downtown Cairo.

It is moving study of politics and power, sex and revenge.

Centred on the apartment building of the title, which still stands in Cairo today, the novel offers a compelling yet daringly scathing portrayal of life in modern Egypt since the Revolution of 1952.

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