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. Alaa al aswany arabic athina kappou cairo change egypt society stories turkish university of athens. Alaa al aswanys book turned into a movie in 2006 the movie is available on youtube. 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.
Themes in the yacoubian building by lancelot naipierkane. Conceptions about and representations of male homosexuality in. Erected in the mid 1930s in cairos newly europeanized centre, the building is an architectural jewel, and was then the home of a multitude of. The yacoubian building, by alaa al aswany, trans humphrey. The yacoubian building once grand, but now dilapidated stands on one of cairos main boulevards. He made his directing debut with a short film that was titled li li. This thesis attempts to define movie adaptation, compare it with translation, and then demonstrate how homosexuality in midaq alley and the yacoubian building is adapted into motion picture in egypt and beyond the borders of egyptthe later represented in the mexican movie adaptation of midaq alley.
Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app. Alaa al aswanys the yacoubian building qbc kicked off 20 by doing something a little closer to asia. Whatever shortcomings the film has, what makes it so compulsive is that it shows a diverse group of egyptians the inhabitants of the yacoubian building at the time of the first gulf war and so. The yacoubian building download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi. It would be difficult to overestimate the impact that alaa al aswanys novel has had in egypt.
The yacoubian building by alaa al aswany books the. But most of the many people i talked to were profoundly, emotionally moved by the film or book. Published in 2002 in its original arabic edition, the yacoubian building is a novel by egyptian author alaa al aswany. Then her sarcasm at his expense started to provoke him and they would quarrel, and when he asked her once to stop working for talal because he had a bad reputation, she looked at him challengingly and said, at your service, sir. Click download or read online button to get the yacoubian building book now. The yacoubian building a sprawling, starstudded epic that spans all social classes in todays cairo, the yacoubian building distinguishes itself both as the most expensive egyptian film ever. At first, taha didnt understand the reason for this bitterness. Imarat yaqubya n is a novel by egyptian author alaaalaswany. View paintings online the yacoubian building chapter summaries contemporary cairo who were revival ready at walmart. It tells the story of life in cairo through several interwoven narratives.
I read the story of yacoubian building so i couldnt wait to watch it in the movie theater but i thought it will be like any other story. The yacoubian building by alaa al aswany 9789774248627. 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. It follows the stories of several characters who live in the yacoubian building, a onceluxurious building that houses rich residents inside and. The book has been a bestseller throughout the arab world. A novel and millions of other books are available for instant access. The yacoubian building 2006 the yacoubian building. Id like to talk about this phenomenon of the yacoubian building. It is only recently that arab film and literature have started to approach the subject of sex. In fact, it was reportedly the attention surrounding the upcoming film that drove the buildings apartment and business owners to pick up al aswanys novel. After we saw the movie some years ago and we had planed a trip to cairo, we looked and eventually found the yacoubian building. The yacoubian building by alaa al aswany, humphrey t. An international bestseller, the yacoubian building is a mesmerising and controversial novel that is at once an impassioned celebration and a ruthless dissection of a society dominated by bribery and corruption.
Myafrica is the unrest panelists talked about and consultant. Yacoubian building houses uncomfortable truths the controversial, bestselling egyptian novel the yacoubian building describes a country that. It follows the stories of several characters who live in the yacoubian building. Then you can start reading kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer no kindle device required. The yacoubian building npr coverage of the yacoubian building by ala aswani and humphrey t. Alaa elaswany, who is a dentist, does not shy away from weaving sordid tales of political corruption, sexuality and torture in his story. Arabic literature the yacoubian building essay 2203 words. Economics in the yacoubian building gender in the egyptian 90s apartment vs. In 2006, the yacoubian building was adapted into the biggest budget movie ever produced in egypt. Tragicomic, passionate, shockingly frank in its sexuality, and brimming with an extraordinary, embracing human compassion, the yacoubian building is a.
Nevertheless i was to find the book much more compelling than the particular mahfouz. Nowadays, there are so many products of the yacoubian building movie in the market and you are wondering to choose a best one. Though belonging to different strata of egyptian society, they share the common fate of living in the yacoubian building, located on suleiman basha street now called talaat harb street in downtown cairo. The yacoubian building of the title is a microcosm of much of cairo, and in telling the stories of various of its denizens alaa al aswany offers a. Built in 1934 for an armenian millionaire, its fall from grace is for this author just one aspect of egypts general dilapidation. It has been reported to be the highestbudgeted film in the history of egyptian cinema. Interview with director and star of the yacoubian building duration. 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. Meditations on corruption, fundamentalism, prostitution, homosexuality, and drugs in.
The film expresses all these elements through the lives of those who reside in the yacoubian building, representing segments within the egyptian society. An actual downtown cairo landmark called the yacoubian building is the book s unifying element, housing all strata of egyptian society. A conversation with alaa alaswany on the yacoubian building. The yacoubian building itself is a oncehandsome art deco block on the boulevard known now as talaat harb, but here called by its old name of suleiman basha street. The edition used in this guide was translated by humphrey davies. The yacoubian building has topped the bestseller lists for over two years, been adapted for the.
Alaa al aswanys the yacoubian building 2002, which became a bestselling egyptian and arab novel worldwide in the past decade, owes its. A fading aristocrat and selfproclaimed scientist of women. Published in arabic in 2002 and in an english translation in 2004, the boo k. The yacoubian building is a novel by egyptian author alaaalaswany.
Underlying the novel and the making of the film version is a fundamental question. Best the yacoubian building movie home life collection. The residents of the yacoubian building hardly talk to each other, separated by the walls of the building. I just loved this movie the casting was so genius and every actor did his part in an amazing way. The yacoubian building is set in cairo around 1990, the time of the gulf war. It was after this that he directed his fist major film, the yacoubian building, which was an adaptation of the alaa al aswany novel, which firmly established him in the industry. What the yacoubian building video movies with vasken yacoubian building analysis. Aswani the yacoubian building topics egypt collection opensource language english. The book was made into a film of the same name in 2006 and into a tv series in 2007. The book focuses mainly on the residents of the yacoubian building. Prostitutes were given permits and had to be checked for disease every week. Within a few months, it has taken the egyptian book world by storm. In the course of this unforgettable novel, these disparate lives converge, careening inexorably toward an explosive conclusion.
It has been filmed by marwan hamed with a care and expense unprecedented in the egyptian cinema. Delaware county district library ohio scanned in china. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. Featured movies all video latest this just in prelinger archives democracy now. Actually there are two apartment buildings that once belonged to mr. The yacoubian building omaret yakobean 2006 rotten. The book is almost exclusively about the 3 taboos in the arab literature. Both book and movie show a number of characters who live in the art deco yacoubian building, which really exists. In their stead, a new breed of cairenes has moved in. Egyptian sexuality in the 90s homosexuality was a taboo prostitution was made legal in late 18s up to early 19s. With adel emam, nour elsherif, youssra, essad youniss. 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. Based on the book, an awardwinning film was made in 2006 also entitled the yacoubian building directed by marwan hamed. The yacoubian building was a best seller in egypt, and this summer a feature film based on the novel opened there to popular and critical.
The movie was screened at international film festivals and was a huge hit in egypt. 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 in beirut, lebanon belongs to the same family. This controversial bestselling novel in the arab world reveals the political corruption, sexual repression, religious extremism, and modern hopes of egypt today. Both the film of the yacoubian building and the book are interesting stories which tell about what it is like to live in. Hend sabri as bothayna and adel imam as zaki in the 2006 film adaptation. Some egyptians didnt like the movie because they felt it focused only on the negative aspects of their society. The boo k was made into a fil m of the same name in 2006 and into a tv series in 2007. The film was reportedly the highestbudgeted film in the history of egyptian cinema at the time. M arwan hameds version of the bestselling novel by alaa al aswany is a portmanteau account of a handful of characters living in an apartment building in. However, alaswany was banned from attending the premiere. Based on the novel by the same title, the author dr. Alaa elaswany does not shy away from weaving sordid tales of.
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