Sunʿalláh Ibráhim Pořadí knih (chronologicky)

That Smell is Sonallah Ibrahim’s modernist masterpiece and one of the most influential novels written in Arabic since WWII. Composed after a five-year term in prison, the semi-autobiographical story follows a recently released political prisoner as he wanders through Cairo, adrift in his native city. Living under house arrest, he tries to write of his tortuous experience, but instead smokes, spies on the neighbors, visits old lovers, and marvels at Egypt’s new consumer culture. Published in 1966, That Smell was immediately banned and the print-run confiscated. The original, uncensored version did not appear in Egypt for another twenty years. For this edition, translator Robyn Creswell has also included an annotated selection of the author’s Notes from Prison , Ibrahim’s prison diaries—a personal archive comprising hundreds of handwritten notes copied onto Bafra-brand cigarette papers and smuggled out of jail. These stark, intense writings shed unexpected light on the sources and motives of Ibrahim’s groundbreaking novel. Also included in this edition is Ibrahim’s celebrated essay about the writing and reception of That Smell .

Káhirský rodák Sun‘alláh Ibráhím je jedním z nejčastěji překládaných arabských spisovatelů. Svou absurdně laděnou novelou Komise, v níž se realistické a magicko-realistické prvky prolínají s metodami kinematografického stylu, vytyčil nový směr egyptské románové tvorby. Dějem novely je střet bezejmenného hrdiny s Komisí, jejíž jednání vychází z bizarních pohnutek a nemá žádný konkrétní cíl. Je synonymem překotného a nepřehledného vývoje Egypta v době prosazování „politiky otevřených dveří“, kdy bylo mnoho lidí donuceno hledat nový smysl života a přizpůsobit se novému hodnotovému systému, jenž je v knize symbolizován Coca-Colou. Komise je nadčasovou generační výpovědí, v níž Egypťan Sun‘alláh Ibráhím navázal na poetiku díla F. Kafky a na pozadí skutečných historických událostí vytvořil příběh charakterizovaný snovou atmosférou a hlubokou beznadějí.

This unusual and much lauded novel tells the story of the life of an Egyptian woman - the eponymous Zaat - during the regimes of three Egyptian Abdel Nasser, Sadat, and Mubarak. Imbued with an Egyptian sense of humor and deeply rooted in the culture and politics of the modern period, the novel takes a humorous but often black look at the changes that have occurred in Egypt over the past few decades. Zaat's life experiences and relationships are set against economic and social upheavals in a style that is both sophisticated and bawdy, highly ironic and often extremely poignant.Zaat's story is interspersed and illustrated with extracts from newspapers of the day - headlines, articles, captions, death notices, advertisements -reflecting events and incidents contemporary with her life. Beautifully put together with bitter and cutting irony, they tell of corruption, financial scandals, torture, foreign debt, and social problems. The heroine epitomizes the hopes, dreams, and ambitions of simple folk tossed about on the stormy sea of modernization, consumerism, and the ever-present mirage of new wealth. Zaat is a brilliant social commentary that provides keen insights into how Egypt has come to be the way it is today.