Author: Donia Maher
Publisher: Darf Publishers
ISBN: 9781850773061
Category : COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS
Languages : en
Pages : 82
Book Description
Graphic novel set in Egypt and winner of Kahil Award 2015
The Apartment in Bab El-Louk
Author: Donia Maher
Publisher: Darf Publishers
ISBN: 9781850773061
Category : COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS
Languages : en
Pages : 82
Book Description
Graphic novel set in Egypt and winner of Kahil Award 2015
Publisher: Darf Publishers
ISBN: 9781850773061
Category : COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS
Languages : en
Pages : 82
Book Description
Graphic novel set in Egypt and winner of Kahil Award 2015
Graphic Novels and Comics as World Literature
Author: James Hodapp
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 1501373439
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 304
Book Description
Graphic narratives are one of the world's great art forms, but graphic novels and comics from Europe and the United States dominate scholarly conversations about them. Building upon the little extant scholarship on graphic narratives from the Global South, this collection moves beyond a narrow Western approach to this quickly expanding field. By focusing on texts from the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and Asia, these essays expand the study of graphic narratives to a global scale. Graphic Novels and Comics as World Literature is also interested in how these texts engage with, fit in with, or complicate notions of World Literature. The larger theoretical framework of World Literature is joined with the postcolonial, decolonial, Global South, and similar approaches that argue explicitly or implicitly for the viability of non-Western graphic narratives on their own terms. Ultimately, this collection explores the ways that the unique formal qualities of graphic narratives from the Global South intersect with issues facing the study of international literatures, such as translation, commodification, circulation, Orientalism, and many others.
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 1501373439
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 304
Book Description
Graphic narratives are one of the world's great art forms, but graphic novels and comics from Europe and the United States dominate scholarly conversations about them. Building upon the little extant scholarship on graphic narratives from the Global South, this collection moves beyond a narrow Western approach to this quickly expanding field. By focusing on texts from the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and Asia, these essays expand the study of graphic narratives to a global scale. Graphic Novels and Comics as World Literature is also interested in how these texts engage with, fit in with, or complicate notions of World Literature. The larger theoretical framework of World Literature is joined with the postcolonial, decolonial, Global South, and similar approaches that argue explicitly or implicitly for the viability of non-Western graphic narratives on their own terms. Ultimately, this collection explores the ways that the unique formal qualities of graphic narratives from the Global South intersect with issues facing the study of international literatures, such as translation, commodification, circulation, Orientalism, and many others.
In The Shoes of the Other
Author: Samia Mehrez
Publisher: Al Kotob Khan for Publishing and Distribution
ISBN: 9778031134
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 486
Book Description
In the Shoes of the Other Interdisciplinary Essays in Translation Studies from Cairo “This anthology continues a tradition that is intended to give impetus to the development of Egyptian and Arab discourses on translation both within and beyond the American University in Cairo. It is a welcome and important contribution to raising the profile of translation, in all its forms, and of translators in the region.” Mona Baker, University of Manchester “Since its founding, the Center for Translation Studies has hosted an astonishing number of academic events that are among the most intellectually serious and internationally prominent of AUC’s activities in the humanities; this has been noted by universities across the world. Indeed, the “In Translation” lecture series is, without any exaggeration, the most impressive public lecture series of its kind anywhere, and far beyond anything comparable in Africa or the Middle East.” Adam Talib, Durham University “AUC’s Center for Translation Studies has proved itself a vital interpreter of texts and events generated by Egypt’s turbulent political history and fervent artistic culture. I know of no other group of scholars with equal competence in these matters and with an equivalent respect in the field.” Anthony Cordingley, Université Paris VIII
Publisher: Al Kotob Khan for Publishing and Distribution
ISBN: 9778031134
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 486
Book Description
In the Shoes of the Other Interdisciplinary Essays in Translation Studies from Cairo “This anthology continues a tradition that is intended to give impetus to the development of Egyptian and Arab discourses on translation both within and beyond the American University in Cairo. It is a welcome and important contribution to raising the profile of translation, in all its forms, and of translators in the region.” Mona Baker, University of Manchester “Since its founding, the Center for Translation Studies has hosted an astonishing number of academic events that are among the most intellectually serious and internationally prominent of AUC’s activities in the humanities; this has been noted by universities across the world. Indeed, the “In Translation” lecture series is, without any exaggeration, the most impressive public lecture series of its kind anywhere, and far beyond anything comparable in Africa or the Middle East.” Adam Talib, Durham University “AUC’s Center for Translation Studies has proved itself a vital interpreter of texts and events generated by Egypt’s turbulent political history and fervent artistic culture. I know of no other group of scholars with equal competence in these matters and with an equivalent respect in the field.” Anthony Cordingley, Université Paris VIII
Urban Comics
Author: Dominic Davies
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351054481
Category : Comics & Graphic Novels
Languages : en
Pages : 272
Book Description
Urban Comics: Infrastructure and the Global City in Contemporary Graphic Narratives makes an important and timely contribution both to comics studies and urban studies, offering a decolonisation and reconfiguration of both of these already interdisciplinary fields. With chapter-length discussions of comics from cities such as Cairo, Cape Town, New Orleans, Delhi and Beirut, this book shows how artistic collectives and urban social movements working across the global South are producing some of the most exciting and formally innovative graphic narratives of the contemporary moment. Throughout, the author reads an expansive range of graphic narratives through the vocabulary of urban studies to argue that these formal innovations should be thought of as a kind of infrastructure. This ‘infrastructural form’ allows urban comics to reveal that the built environments of our cities are not static, banal, or depoliticised, but rather highly charged material spaces that allow some forms of social life to exist while also prohibiting others. Built from a formal infrastructure of grids, gutters and panels, and capable of volumetric, multi-scalar perspectives, this book shows how urban comics are able to represent, repair and even rebuild contemporary global cities toward more socially just and sustainable ends. Operating at the intersection of comics studies and urban studies, and offering large global surveys alongside close textual and visual analyses, this book explores and opens up the fascinating relationship between comics and graphic narratives, on the one hand, and cities and urban spaces, on the other.
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351054481
Category : Comics & Graphic Novels
Languages : en
Pages : 272
Book Description
Urban Comics: Infrastructure and the Global City in Contemporary Graphic Narratives makes an important and timely contribution both to comics studies and urban studies, offering a decolonisation and reconfiguration of both of these already interdisciplinary fields. With chapter-length discussions of comics from cities such as Cairo, Cape Town, New Orleans, Delhi and Beirut, this book shows how artistic collectives and urban social movements working across the global South are producing some of the most exciting and formally innovative graphic narratives of the contemporary moment. Throughout, the author reads an expansive range of graphic narratives through the vocabulary of urban studies to argue that these formal innovations should be thought of as a kind of infrastructure. This ‘infrastructural form’ allows urban comics to reveal that the built environments of our cities are not static, banal, or depoliticised, but rather highly charged material spaces that allow some forms of social life to exist while also prohibiting others. Built from a formal infrastructure of grids, gutters and panels, and capable of volumetric, multi-scalar perspectives, this book shows how urban comics are able to represent, repair and even rebuild contemporary global cities toward more socially just and sustainable ends. Operating at the intersection of comics studies and urban studies, and offering large global surveys alongside close textual and visual analyses, this book explores and opens up the fascinating relationship between comics and graphic narratives, on the one hand, and cities and urban spaces, on the other.
Beyond the Soul
Author: Gaston Levy
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 1440195420
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 406
Book Description
In an amusing and colorful way, the author narrates his childhood memories of Egypt; the warm family gatherings, the dishes cooked by his mother with their aromatic smells, and the sounds and sights of the Egyptian lifestyle at the time. The author then takes us on his harrowing exodus from Egypt for Brazil. He shares his initial challenges in this unknown land and talks about his life in Rio de Janeiro, then in Canada. He finally ends his journey in Boston, Massachusetts, when he is given a permanent transfer to his company's headquarters there. He discusses his move up the demanding management staircase, one step at a time, honing his leadership skills at every level. He finally arrives at the top of corporate America, where he deals face to face with his Board of Directors, the investment bankers, and Wall Street analysts. This boy from Alexandria invites us into his innermost thoughts and feelings, showing how he was able to develop a new concept of life, its meaning and its purpose thanks to Logosophy, the science of self-knowledge. Finally, he offers us his conclusions, after twenty-five years of investigation, on "The Origins of the Ancient Egyptian Civilization" and "Who Were the Jews."
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 1440195420
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 406
Book Description
In an amusing and colorful way, the author narrates his childhood memories of Egypt; the warm family gatherings, the dishes cooked by his mother with their aromatic smells, and the sounds and sights of the Egyptian lifestyle at the time. The author then takes us on his harrowing exodus from Egypt for Brazil. He shares his initial challenges in this unknown land and talks about his life in Rio de Janeiro, then in Canada. He finally ends his journey in Boston, Massachusetts, when he is given a permanent transfer to his company's headquarters there. He discusses his move up the demanding management staircase, one step at a time, honing his leadership skills at every level. He finally arrives at the top of corporate America, where he deals face to face with his Board of Directors, the investment bankers, and Wall Street analysts. This boy from Alexandria invites us into his innermost thoughts and feelings, showing how he was able to develop a new concept of life, its meaning and its purpose thanks to Logosophy, the science of self-knowledge. Finally, he offers us his conclusions, after twenty-five years of investigation, on "The Origins of the Ancient Egyptian Civilization" and "Who Were the Jews."
Zainab
Author: Mohammed Hussein Haikal
Publisher: Darf Publishers Ltd.
ISBN: 1850772924
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 239
Book Description
Zainab, a name which aptly reflects the beauty of this tale's protagonist is also the title of the first modern Egyptian novel written in native vernacular. Crafted in 1910 by a privileged member of society and a student at the time living in Paris, Mohammed Hussein Haikal later rose through the ranks of Egyptian politics and media. The writer, journalist and politician also holds a number of written works to his name, including The House of Revelation (1939) and Thus was I Created (1955). Haikal successfully humanises and contextualises Egypt's societal issues without too reproachful a voice. As the great poet, Ahmed Fouad Negm said, 'it is better to wake your child up through laughter, rather than shouting at him'. Haikal expresses his sympathies with the fellah of Egypt, who despite the apparent reverence with which they are looked upon by society are still obliged to bear extreme difficulties, which they do so with great dignity. Their suffering remains unchallenged as they are routinely exploited by their employers, the state, 'religious leaders' and cheated out of education which results in the demise of their mental and physical wellbeing. Illnesses may be treated as a metaphysical phenomenon, rather than with a trip to the doctor, whilst depression is treated as a headache. Zainab, a hardworking farmer girl, is to be married to a son of the landowner despite her love for another named Ibrahim. Haikal is highly critical of this traditional marriage practice, where young men and women are picked off by families and pushed together into marriage to suit the requirements of the parents over the needs of the young couple. This message is clear throughout the book but appears most starkly in an open letter from Haikal to the public, guised as a note written by the character Hamid to his own father. Hamid states, 'To this day I consider the institution of marriage defective, on account of the conditions that are attached to it. Indeed I believe a marriage which is not based on love and does not progress with love to be contemptible.' As Haikal wrote in his room in Paris he was undoubtedly influenced by his nostalgia, describing scenes in Egypt in a way that only an Egyptian could. He is a man who has succeeded in writing for the woman, and his critiques of society are logical and empathetic. Few are painted as evil in Zainab but the writer warns that as with most of society's ills, our failures are the consequence of apathy, silence and the desire to fulfil what is expected of us through convention, culture and our own ignorance.
Publisher: Darf Publishers Ltd.
ISBN: 1850772924
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 239
Book Description
Zainab, a name which aptly reflects the beauty of this tale's protagonist is also the title of the first modern Egyptian novel written in native vernacular. Crafted in 1910 by a privileged member of society and a student at the time living in Paris, Mohammed Hussein Haikal later rose through the ranks of Egyptian politics and media. The writer, journalist and politician also holds a number of written works to his name, including The House of Revelation (1939) and Thus was I Created (1955). Haikal successfully humanises and contextualises Egypt's societal issues without too reproachful a voice. As the great poet, Ahmed Fouad Negm said, 'it is better to wake your child up through laughter, rather than shouting at him'. Haikal expresses his sympathies with the fellah of Egypt, who despite the apparent reverence with which they are looked upon by society are still obliged to bear extreme difficulties, which they do so with great dignity. Their suffering remains unchallenged as they are routinely exploited by their employers, the state, 'religious leaders' and cheated out of education which results in the demise of their mental and physical wellbeing. Illnesses may be treated as a metaphysical phenomenon, rather than with a trip to the doctor, whilst depression is treated as a headache. Zainab, a hardworking farmer girl, is to be married to a son of the landowner despite her love for another named Ibrahim. Haikal is highly critical of this traditional marriage practice, where young men and women are picked off by families and pushed together into marriage to suit the requirements of the parents over the needs of the young couple. This message is clear throughout the book but appears most starkly in an open letter from Haikal to the public, guised as a note written by the character Hamid to his own father. Hamid states, 'To this day I consider the institution of marriage defective, on account of the conditions that are attached to it. Indeed I believe a marriage which is not based on love and does not progress with love to be contemptible.' As Haikal wrote in his room in Paris he was undoubtedly influenced by his nostalgia, describing scenes in Egypt in a way that only an Egyptian could. He is a man who has succeeded in writing for the woman, and his critiques of society are logical and empathetic. Few are painted as evil in Zainab but the writer warns that as with most of society's ills, our failures are the consequence of apathy, silence and the desire to fulfil what is expected of us through convention, culture and our own ignorance.
Thirteen Months of Sunrise
Author: Rania Mamoun
Publisher: Comma Press
ISBN: 191269719X
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 64
Book Description
A young woman sits by her father’s deathbed, lamenting her failure to keep a promise to him… A struggling writer walks every inch of the city in search of inspiration, only to find it is much closer than she imagined… A girl collapses from hunger at the side of the road and is rescued by the most unlikely of saviours... In this powerful, debut collection, Rania Mamoun expertly blends the real and imagined to create a rich, complex and moving portrait of contemporary Sudan. From painful encounters with loved ones to unexpected new friendships, Mamoun illuminates the breadth of human experience and explores, with humour and compassion, the alienation, isolation and estrangement that is urban life. Translated from the Arabic by Elisabeth Jaquette. One of World Literature Today's 75 Notable Translations of 2019. One of The Guardian's 'Top 10 books about Sudan'. One of Bustle's '25 New Short Story Collections To Read This Summer'. One of Bookshy Book's 'Ten-Plus Short Story Collections from Writers of African Origin'. It is a phenomental, exacting collection. It's intense and intimate, and always bordering, with absolute control, on the subversive and erotic. It's also very funny - Rania Mamoun is an extraordinary talent.' - Preti Taneja, author of We That Are Young ‘A stunning collection, remarkable for its sweet clarity of voice and startling depictions of the marginalised and the destitute. With mastery, Rania Mamoun reaches straight into the heartbeat of her subject matter, laying bare humanity in all its tenderness and tenacity.’ - Leila Aboulela, author of Elsewhere Home
Publisher: Comma Press
ISBN: 191269719X
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 64
Book Description
A young woman sits by her father’s deathbed, lamenting her failure to keep a promise to him… A struggling writer walks every inch of the city in search of inspiration, only to find it is much closer than she imagined… A girl collapses from hunger at the side of the road and is rescued by the most unlikely of saviours... In this powerful, debut collection, Rania Mamoun expertly blends the real and imagined to create a rich, complex and moving portrait of contemporary Sudan. From painful encounters with loved ones to unexpected new friendships, Mamoun illuminates the breadth of human experience and explores, with humour and compassion, the alienation, isolation and estrangement that is urban life. Translated from the Arabic by Elisabeth Jaquette. One of World Literature Today's 75 Notable Translations of 2019. One of The Guardian's 'Top 10 books about Sudan'. One of Bustle's '25 New Short Story Collections To Read This Summer'. One of Bookshy Book's 'Ten-Plus Short Story Collections from Writers of African Origin'. It is a phenomental, exacting collection. It's intense and intimate, and always bordering, with absolute control, on the subversive and erotic. It's also very funny - Rania Mamoun is an extraordinary talent.' - Preti Taneja, author of We That Are Young ‘A stunning collection, remarkable for its sweet clarity of voice and startling depictions of the marginalised and the destitute. With mastery, Rania Mamoun reaches straight into the heartbeat of her subject matter, laying bare humanity in all its tenderness and tenacity.’ - Leila Aboulela, author of Elsewhere Home
From Feast to Famine
Author: Butros Hanna
Publisher: Europa Edizioni
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 299
Book Description
From Feast to Famine tells the story of three generations of the Wahba family, a wealthy Coptic family. The saga begins in Egypt at the turn of the 20th century and follows the twists and turns of the lives of Amin Wahba, his only son Farid, and his three grandchildren, Boulos, Mary and Joseph. In the span of these three generations, tragic events will happen that will change the fate of the Wahba family, as it intertwines with those of a world at war and a country in turmoil. Two World Wars, the Revolution of July 1952, the 1956 Suez War, and the Six-Day War of 1967 will take their toll on Egypt and the members of the Wahba family, until the apparition of the Virgin Mary in the Church of Zeitun will provide solace to a Nation in mourning. Egyptian IT specialist immigrated to America after the Six-Day War of 1967, Butros Hanna went on to have a successful career and a fulfilling life in the United States as an engineer and manager in the telecommunications industry, working in his field both in American and European branches of many large US companies. In January 2003, after a two-year assignment in Brussels, he retired from his latest job to start a whole new career as a writer, beginning his path towards publication. From Feast to Famine collects some of the many stories written by the author in almost a decade.
Publisher: Europa Edizioni
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 299
Book Description
From Feast to Famine tells the story of three generations of the Wahba family, a wealthy Coptic family. The saga begins in Egypt at the turn of the 20th century and follows the twists and turns of the lives of Amin Wahba, his only son Farid, and his three grandchildren, Boulos, Mary and Joseph. In the span of these three generations, tragic events will happen that will change the fate of the Wahba family, as it intertwines with those of a world at war and a country in turmoil. Two World Wars, the Revolution of July 1952, the 1956 Suez War, and the Six-Day War of 1967 will take their toll on Egypt and the members of the Wahba family, until the apparition of the Virgin Mary in the Church of Zeitun will provide solace to a Nation in mourning. Egyptian IT specialist immigrated to America after the Six-Day War of 1967, Butros Hanna went on to have a successful career and a fulfilling life in the United States as an engineer and manager in the telecommunications industry, working in his field both in American and European branches of many large US companies. In January 2003, after a two-year assignment in Brussels, he retired from his latest job to start a whole new career as a writer, beginning his path towards publication. From Feast to Famine collects some of the many stories written by the author in almost a decade.
The Queue
Author: Basma Abdel Aziz
Publisher: Melville House
ISBN: 1612195172
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 194
Book Description
“Weird and wild.” —BookRiot “An effective critique of authoritarianism.” —NPR “Equal parts dystopia, satire, and allegory. —Los Angeles Review of Books Set against the backdrop of a failed political uprising in Egypt, this chilling debut evokes Orwellian dystopia, Kafkaesque surrealism, and a very real vision of life after the Arab Spring. In a surreal, but familiar, vision of modern day Egypt, a centralized authority known as ‘the Gate’ has risen to power in the aftermath of the ‘Disgraceful Events,’ a failed popular uprising. Citizens are required to obtain permission from the Gate in order to take care of even the most basic of their daily affairs, yet the Gate never opens, and the queue in front of it grows longer. Citizens from all walks of life mix and wait in the sun: a revolutionary journalist, a sheikh, a poor woman concerned for her daughter’s health, and even the brother of a security officer killed in clashes with protestors. Among them is Yehia, a man who was shot during the Events and is waiting for permission from the Gate to remove a bullet that remains lodged in his pelvis. Yehia’s health steadily declines, yet at every turn, officials refuse to assist him, actively denying the very existence of the bullet. Ultimately it is Tarek, the principled doctor tending to Yehia’s case, who must decide whether to follow protocol as he has always done, or to disobey the law and risk his career to operate on Yehia and save his life. Written with dark, subtle humor, The Queue describes the sinister nature of authoritarianism, and illuminates the way that absolute authority manipulates information, mobilizes others in service to it, and fails to uphold the rights of even those faithful to it.
Publisher: Melville House
ISBN: 1612195172
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 194
Book Description
“Weird and wild.” —BookRiot “An effective critique of authoritarianism.” —NPR “Equal parts dystopia, satire, and allegory. —Los Angeles Review of Books Set against the backdrop of a failed political uprising in Egypt, this chilling debut evokes Orwellian dystopia, Kafkaesque surrealism, and a very real vision of life after the Arab Spring. In a surreal, but familiar, vision of modern day Egypt, a centralized authority known as ‘the Gate’ has risen to power in the aftermath of the ‘Disgraceful Events,’ a failed popular uprising. Citizens are required to obtain permission from the Gate in order to take care of even the most basic of their daily affairs, yet the Gate never opens, and the queue in front of it grows longer. Citizens from all walks of life mix and wait in the sun: a revolutionary journalist, a sheikh, a poor woman concerned for her daughter’s health, and even the brother of a security officer killed in clashes with protestors. Among them is Yehia, a man who was shot during the Events and is waiting for permission from the Gate to remove a bullet that remains lodged in his pelvis. Yehia’s health steadily declines, yet at every turn, officials refuse to assist him, actively denying the very existence of the bullet. Ultimately it is Tarek, the principled doctor tending to Yehia’s case, who must decide whether to follow protocol as he has always done, or to disobey the law and risk his career to operate on Yehia and save his life. Written with dark, subtle humor, The Queue describes the sinister nature of authoritarianism, and illuminates the way that absolute authority manipulates information, mobilizes others in service to it, and fails to uphold the rights of even those faithful to it.
Using Life
Author: Ahmed Naji
Publisher: University of Texas Press
ISBN: 1477314806
Category : Comics & Graphic Novels
Languages : en
Pages : 214
Book Description
Upon its initial release in Arabic in the fall of 2014, Using Life received acclaim in Egypt and the wider Arab world. But in 2016, Ahmed Naji was sentenced to two years in prison after a reader complained that an excerpt published in a literary journal harmed public morality. His imprisonment marks the first time in modern Egypt that an author has been jailed for a work of literature. Writers and literary organizations around the world rallied to support Naji, and he was released in December 2016. His original conviction was overturned in May 2017 but, at the time of printing, he is awaiting retrial and banned from leaving Egypt. Set in modern-day Cairo, Using Life follows a young filmmaker, Bassam Bahgat, after a secret society hires him to create a series of documentary films about the urban planning and architecture of Cairo. The plot in which Bassam finds himself ensnared unfolds in the novel's unique mix of text and black-and-white illustrations. The Society of Urbanists, Bassam discovers, is responsible for centuries of world-wide conspiracies that have shaped political regimes, geographical boundaries, reigning ideologies, and religions. It is responsible for today's Cairo, and for everywhere else, too. Yet its methods are subtle and indirect: it operates primarily through manipulating urban architecture, rather than brute force. As Bassam immerses himself in the Society and its shadowy figures, he finds Cairo on the brink of a planned apocalypse, designed to wipe out the whole city and rebuild anew.
Publisher: University of Texas Press
ISBN: 1477314806
Category : Comics & Graphic Novels
Languages : en
Pages : 214
Book Description
Upon its initial release in Arabic in the fall of 2014, Using Life received acclaim in Egypt and the wider Arab world. But in 2016, Ahmed Naji was sentenced to two years in prison after a reader complained that an excerpt published in a literary journal harmed public morality. His imprisonment marks the first time in modern Egypt that an author has been jailed for a work of literature. Writers and literary organizations around the world rallied to support Naji, and he was released in December 2016. His original conviction was overturned in May 2017 but, at the time of printing, he is awaiting retrial and banned from leaving Egypt. Set in modern-day Cairo, Using Life follows a young filmmaker, Bassam Bahgat, after a secret society hires him to create a series of documentary films about the urban planning and architecture of Cairo. The plot in which Bassam finds himself ensnared unfolds in the novel's unique mix of text and black-and-white illustrations. The Society of Urbanists, Bassam discovers, is responsible for centuries of world-wide conspiracies that have shaped political regimes, geographical boundaries, reigning ideologies, and religions. It is responsible for today's Cairo, and for everywhere else, too. Yet its methods are subtle and indirect: it operates primarily through manipulating urban architecture, rather than brute force. As Bassam immerses himself in the Society and its shadowy figures, he finds Cairo on the brink of a planned apocalypse, designed to wipe out the whole city and rebuild anew.