The yacoubian building provides a glimpse into the complicated lives of residents of an egyptian building. The yacoubian building by alaa al aswany takes place in cairo in the 1990s during the first gulf war when iraq invaded kuwait and the u. There are 5 or more main characters whose lives are woven. The taboo subjects the yacoubian building touches made the film a sensation inside egypt. Through its firstclass citizens and workingclass roofdwellers we view wealth and poverty, character and corruption, vice, chauvinism, terrorism, homosexuality, politics, prostitution. The yacoubian building by alaa al aswany overdrive. But the war is not the focus of the book, it is pretty much background. Interview with director and star of the yacoubian building duration. The revolution was initially aimed at overthrowing king farouk. The yacoubian building by alaa alaswany 2006 not even. Catw, i think you are kinda nutty but i have to admit the yacoubian building was a fabulous book. In the hot evenings of autumn 2002, cairos streetside cafes were packed with men, women and teenagers riffling intently.
Yacoubian graduated from the pennsylvania state university college of medicine in 2000. Free download or read online the yacoubian building pdf epub book. Yacoubian works in burbank, ca and 1 other location and specializes in orthopedic surgery. Alaa alaswany is the bestselling author of three previous books published in arabic.
However, the movement had more political ambitions, and soon moved to abolish the constitutional monarchy and aristocracy of egypt and sudan, establish a republic, end the british occupation of the country, and secure the independence of sudan. Yacoubian building egypt lonely planet forum thorn tree hi there, we use cookies to improve your experience on our website. Yacoubian building houses uncomfortable truths the controversial, bestselling egyptian novel the yacoubian building describes a country that is corrupt, unfair and thuggish. This tenstory structure, i found, has a lot to say.
The yacoubian building holds all that egypt was and has become over the 75 years since its namesake was built on one of downtown cairos main boulevards. Set in the late 20th century egypt, after the egyptian revolution of 1952, the yacoubian building started filling up with people from egypts lower class, while some others from the upper and middle classes stayed put. Erected in the mid 1930s in cairos newly europeanized centre, the building is an architectural jewel, and. If you cant find good in your own country, you wont find it anywhere else. The book focuses mainly on the residents of the yacoubian building, a oncechic but now rundown edifice that acts as a metaphor for cairos own deterioration. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 256 pages and is available in paperback format.
The yacoubian building is fastmoving and actionpacked, with drama in every scene and shifts between the different strands used to provide tension. An eyecatching construction, the yacoubian building in cairo was long regarded as the last word in comfort and elegance. The residents of the yacoubian building hardly talk to each other, separated by the walls of the building. Military coup led by muhammad naguib and gamal abdel nasser. The yacoubian building 2006 the yacoubian building. Alaa al aswanys the yacoubian building 2002, which became a bestselling egyptian and arab novel worldwide in the past decade, owes its title to the ambition of an armenian millionaire who wanted immortality through a building that bears his name. The first edition of the novel was published in 2002, and was written by alaa al aswany.
Alaa al aswany quotes author of the yacoubian building. Nestled along downtown cairos busy talat haarb street, the yacoubian building is easy to miss. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the yacoubian building. The yacoubian building by marwan hamed adel imam, yousra.
But in the yacoubian building, an apartment complex on a downtown street tells the story of a whole nation. The yacoubian building by alaa al aswany translated by humphrey daviesharper perennial, 2006, 255 pp. The yacoubian building 2006 full movie download full hd. John yacoubian began his career after training as a master tailor for thirteen years.
Some wealthy families occupy the large apartments there, but impoverished residents live on the roof in what was formerly servants quarters. Alaa al aswanys novel the yacoubian building describes a beautiful building, combining french and greek architecture in grandiose statues and balconies, in the novel we follow the lives of those who live and work together in a building of the same name. From the pious son of the buildings doorkeeper and the raucous, impoverished squatters on its roof, via the tattered aristocrat and the gay intellectual in its apartments, to the ruthless. Nowadays the veneer has cracked and the shine has dulled to reveal the. Among the contemporary residents of the yacoubian building is haj azzam, a. The yacoubian building is adapted from a novel of the same name by alaa al aswany, which took the arab world by storm upon release in 2002. Alaa alaswanys novel the yacoubian building 2002, arabic tells the story of a group of people loosely bound together by dint of living in the same crumbling building a real place in downtown cairo. The main characters of this fiction, northern africa story are. Since opening its doors in november of 1969 yacoubian tailors has been chattanoogas premier destination for exclusive clothing. Imarat yaqubyan is a novel by egyptian author alaaalaswany. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The yacoubian building is an egyptian film based on the novel of the same title by author alaa al aswany.
The building doesnt talk, of course, but it shelters the many people whose lives the book recounts. With adel emam, nour elsherif, youssra, essad youniss. In yacoubian building, a richly layered tale of life in. Yacoubian is affiliated with providence saint joseph medical center. The yacoubian building is an apartment building which was built in egypts glory days. The yacoubian building, an immense scandal when first published because of its sexual frankness, has topped bestseller lists for two years and is now a film with a hollywoodsize budget. Yacoubian building egypt lonely planet forum thorn tree. The yacoubian building distinguishes itself both as the most expensive egyptian film ever made and, despite its nearly threehour running time, one of the most watchable. Want to know all about our sales, specials, and new. Tragicomic, passionate, shockingly frank in its sexuality, and brimming with an extraordinary, embracing human compassion, the yacoubian building is a literary achievement of the first order. The yacoubian building by alaa al aswany goodreads. The apartment building exhibits the areas standard mixture of residential and commercial, its doorway plastered with signs and its first floor nothing but a row of typical and unremarkable small shops. With a discerning eye for detail yacoubians has become synonymous with fine custom tailoring and designer clothing for both men and ladies. The yacoubian building is the sort of dense neighbourhood novel which, though quite out of style when set in london or.
One doesnt need a university diploma to realize that the ruler is oppressive and corrupt. Meditations on corruption, fundamentalism, prostitution, homosexuality, and drugs in. In their stead, a new breed of cairenes has moved in. At the dawn of the 21st century, the yacoubian still has charm and a reputation for elegance, but is beginning to show clear signs of decay, and the rooftop laundry facilities now. In the course of this unforgettable novel, these disparate lives converge, careening inexorably toward an explosive conclusion. The yacoubian building is entertaining and does offer a good overview of contemporary cairo life, but with its many stories and its simplifications can feel more like it skims the surface than truly explores the many hidden depths even as it shares so many intimacies. It has been reported to be the highestbudgeted film in the history of egyptian cinema. After making clothing by hand for over eight years yacoubian tailors incorporated readytowear clothing from the worlds top designers. The yacoubian is a luxury apartment building which was built in cairo in the late 30s. A novel and join the genius community of scholars to learn the meaning behind the words. The yacoubian building omaret yakobean 2006 rotten. The center of the book is the various stories of some of the people who live and work in the yacoubian building. Pdf the yacoubian building book by alaa al aswany free. The following are excerpts from the yacoubian building by egyptian author alaa al aswany.
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