When I took a tour of Egypt earlier this year, I found myself exchanging book titles with my fellow travelers. Historical fiction, mysteries, contemporary serious literature; some are fun reading for getting a feel for the country, the history, the landscape, the emotional qualities of Egypt. Others are very heavy reading, intense, much like the political and social conflicts that Egypt has experienced in a rich, long complex, history.
Here are a few light choices to enjoy on deck while cruising the Nile:
Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie. This classic Poirot mystery is a must read or re-read. It is not only an old fashioned English mystery set in Egypt, it is also a good way to experience the Nile cruise from an earlier era, when people dressed for dinner.
Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters is the first in a long series of mysteries that feature Amelia Peabody, spunky Victorian adventurer as she solves mysteries while frolicking through Egypt .
Check out the Egyptian adventure series by master storyteller, Wilbur Smith: River God, The Seventh Scroll, Warlock, and, most recently, The Quest. These are set in the era of the ancient pharaohs, providing intrigue, excitement, myth, history and romance that will certainly complement your visit to the Valley of the Kings, to the Temple of Queen Hatshupset, and other ancient sites.
On a more serious side—
On my “to read” list is The Yacoubian Building by Egyptian author Ala Al Aswani. It was published in Arabic in 2002 and was a bestseller for two years. The Yacoubian Building, set in an aging Cairo apartment block, is a portrayal of modern Egyptian society since the Revolution in1952, and is included as recommended fiction reading to tie in with Seattle Reads 2010: Secret Son.
When I think of Egyptian literature, The Cairo Trilogy by Naguib Mahfouz comes first to mind. Mahfouz won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1988 and this is his best-known work. It follows three generations through the years between the two world wars. Ruled by a tyrannical , domineering father, the family experiences its own religious, political, and social upheaval and turmoil, in much the same way that country did during the same period.
No trip to Egypt, or especially Alexandria, is complete without reading the Alexandria Quartet by Lawrence Durrell. Some critics have claimed that it is the first “modern novel” – written between 1957 and 1962. It stars a cast of disillusioned characters, bound together in a web of political and sexual intrigue just before and during World War II. The story is convoluted and ambiguous, told from different layers of character and consciousness, plots and subplots At least three of my fellow travelers were reading the first title in the quartet, “Justine. ”
If you loved Camus, Sartre, Joyce, Miller and Hesse, you’ve probably already read The Alexandria Quartet, or will claim to have read it in the ‘60s. If not, you will appear very intellectual, in an existential sort of way, if you read Justine , smoking a shisha (water pipe with flavored tobacco) in a backstreet café in Alexandria. ~ Beth K., Fiction, Central Library
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