Il Cairo: luoghi semi-ufficiali e personaggi eccentrici nei romanzi di Shalabī e Abū Julayyil
Cairo is a constantly expanding and changing megalopolis, whose residents negotiate the binary oppositions of centre/periphery, development/poverty, and local/global. This paper investigates the literary representation of the Egyptian capital in four novels by Shalabī and Abū Julayyil (1981-2008)...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Edizioni Ca’ Foscari
2018-06-01
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| Series: | Annali di Ca’ Foscari: Serie Orientale |
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| Online Access: | http://edizionicafoscari.unive.it/riviste/annali-di-ca-foscari-serie-orientale/2018/1/il-cairo-luoghi-semi-ufficiali-e-personaggi-eccent/ |
| Summary: | Cairo is a constantly expanding and changing megalopolis, whose residents negotiate the binary oppositions of centre/periphery, development/poverty, and local/global. This paper investigates the literary representation of the Egyptian capital in four novels by Shalabī and Abū Julayyil (1981-2008). Firstly, it overviews recent scholarship about the literary geography of Cairo. Then, it examines the narrative techniques employed by Shalabī and Abū Julayyil to portray semi-official spaces such as historical palaces now in decline, hash dens, shantytowns, and building on the verge of collapse. I argue that these spaces interact with the rest of the city, while developing a highly local culture embodied by eccentric humorous characters.
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| ISSN: | 2385-3042 |