Customer Reviews

Zaat

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you want to know the modern history of Egptian you must read this book !! it takes you to the social life of the modern egyptian from 70's to end of 80's . and also the effect of the media,poltics and economy on our life. with real headers of newspapers.It is a new way of writing in arabic shockes you about the facts we face in our life and we don't care!!! we just live!!Sonallah lights up we are doing in our life. braeks all the taboo's we belive in !!!IT is amazing book.

I am halfway through the book and I must say that I am enjoying it tremendously. The author describes the life of Zaat, a simple egyptian woman who works in the archives department of a government newspaper. The book would have deserved 5 stars if not for some obvious typos in the text. The editor should have gone through this book at least one more time.

I like the way the author alternates between chapters of excerpts from egyptian newspapers and chapters dealing with the daily life of Zaat. The newspaper excerpts are very effective in conveying the corruption, totalitarian system of government, and apathy towards human and consumer rights in Egypt. The life of Zaat shows the daily concerns of a simple minded egyptian, some sort of egyptian Forrest Gump without the achievements of the latter.

As an aside, I had no idea that Egypt was this corrupt. It is a shame that corruption has permeated this society at every level. I had just finished reading a book about the Congo and Mobutu's reign. It is now obvious to me that foreign aid is a curse when given to totalitarian nations. It keeps unsustainable forms of government thriving as the elite of the regime suck all the foreign aid to their benefit and use that money to distribute favors and stay in power.

I highly recommend this book.

this was a decent book but i found the characters uninteresting for the most part and couldnt get attached. i also found the in-between chapters full of newpaper articles distracting - unless you know a rediculous amount about egyptian current events and politics it can be confusing. overall an ok read, but i wouldnt recommend it.

I read most of Sunallah's novels. I honestly think that he should be given the Nobel Prize for literature. He is not afraid to speak his mind and to criticize the status quo. He is a man of high moral principles. He is also funny and very detailed in his descriptions. He wrote another great book that was set in Berkeley, California. I think it is entitled, Americanlee. All his books are a must read.

I did not expect that book to be so interesting. It tells the story of a middle-class Egyptian woman, her job, her relationships, her hopes and dreams. I really liked it and what is innovative is that some capitals have extracts from newspapers which show in a plain way all that is going on in Egypt that time (in the '80s at the beginning of Mubarak's reign). You will be taken aback by the extense of the corruption in the Egyptian society, but this is the target of the book itself. I recommend it!

I read (Zaat) in Arabic and right away after (Whatever Happened to the Egyptians?) Changes in Egyptian Society from 1950 to the Present and it was a perfect timing , like theory and application ! true I saw the corruption in my country as a matter of fact that lead to the revolution , but with these two books I discovered the roots from more than 4 decades .

(Zaat) is my first read to the author , his original Egyptian poignant / sarcastic style was an enjoyable reading and a surprise for me . (Zaat) is not a novel as much as it is diaries; dual Reciprocal diaries shown in Sequence parts, the first is for Egypt in the form of journalistic or documentary quotes to reflect the general atmosphere since the 70s (but the concentration was on the 80s) . there are no comments by the author , letting linking the quotes speak for itself - (the important is the whole image not the parts that any lacks accuracy) . the other line is the heroine (Zaat) and her middle class family with their synchronous human crushing ...why the name Zaat (=self) ? I am not sure , she is not special at all , she is almost a prototype but maybe that what the name is about ? the title gives the impression of a feminine heroism , but even that we live with her life , thoughts and dreams , we feel it is a couple story , since the gradual and total destruction of (Abd elmajeed / husband) until the end was a main or even a core of the novel .

One of the most important element in the novel is the growth of the religion stream and the Sectarian strife prospering ! I admit I never knew about its strength (did not feel it around me), I never even believe it has that darkness, was it really that way? Is it now? To where then?

Thank God I read this novel after the revolution, otherwise I would have ended up with a incurable depression. for me now it is an analytical explanation not a Stifling reality , even if the actual reality is still blurring and misty .