The Yacoubian Building
Page 26
The guests had started to arrive. A few old people who were Zaki el Dessouki’s friends came, some of whom were known to Christine and with all of whom she shook hands, inviting them to visit the bar, where beer and whisky were offered free. The numbers of the guests continued to swell. Friends of Busayna’s from Commercial College came, bringing their families. Ali the Driver came (and forced his way straight through to the bar) and Sabir the laundryman with his wife and children and many others from the roof. The women were wearing shiny gowns embroidered with gold thread and sequins, and the girls of marriageable age came in their best and smartest clothes, conscious of the opportunity for marriage that was implicit in the wedding. The roof people were awestruck at the poshness of the restaurant and its old European style, but little by little the women started to break through this by means of mirthful conversations on the side and loud bursts of laughter that were closer to bawdiness than the spirit of the occasion demanded.
At around nine the door opened and some people entered quickly, followed unhurriedly by Zaki el Dessouki in his smart black suit and a white shirt, a large red bowtie at his neck and his dyed hair swept back in a new cut that the hairdresser had suggested and which had secured its object, in that he appeared ten years younger than his real age. His steps were a little halting and his eyes bloodshot as a result of the two double whiskies that he had decided to start the evening with, and no sooner did he appear at the party than shouts, whistles, and applause—“Congratulations! A thousand congratulations!”—rang out on every side, with a few shy ululations. While everyone was shaking his hand and wishing him the best, Christine darted up to him, embraced him, and kissed him in her warmly affectionate way.
“You look like a movie star!” she exclaimed enthusiastically. Then she sighed, looked at him for a moment, and said, “How happy I am for you, Zaki! You’ve done what you should have done long ago.”
This was the wedding party of Zaki Bey el Dessouki to Busayna el Sayed—who was a little late in coming from the coiffeur, as brides usually are, but who soon arrived in a white wedding dress the ends of whose long train were borne by her sisters and her little brother Mustafa. The moment the bride appeared, the sight of her touched all present and a clear and uninhibited storm of melodious, repeated ululations burst forth. Everyone was happy and as soon as the band had finished with the wedding march and the buffet had opened, Christine made a bid to preserve the European style of the occasion by playing Edith Piaf’s song “La Vie en Rose” on the piano, singing in her mellifluous voice,
Quand il me prend dans ses bras
Il me parle tout bas
Je vois la vie en rose
Il me dit des mots d’amour
Des mots de tous les jours
Et ça m’fait quelque chose
Il est entré dans mon cœur.
The bride and groom danced on their own, Busayna a bit nervous and almost stumbling but guided to the right steps by the groom, who took advantage of the opportunity to pull her close to him in a move that did not escape the notice, or the laughing comments, of the guests. Zaki thought that Busayna in her wedding dress looked like some wondrous, pure, newborn creature and that she had rid herself forever of the blemishes of the past that through no fault of her own had tarnished her. When the song was over, Christine suavely tried to propose other French songs but in vain. Public opinion was so pressing that in the end it had to be accommodated and the band started playing oriental dance numbers. This was the magical moment, for the women and girls jumped up as though they had finally found themselves, clapping, singing, and swaying to the rhythm, more than one of them tying a sash around her hips and dancing. They kept insisting that the bride do the same until she gave in and allowed them to tie a sash on her and joined the dancers, while Zaki Bey el Dessouki watched her with love and admiration, clapping enthusiastically to the rhythm. Then little by little, raising his arms aloft amid the joyful laughter and cries of the others, he joined her in the dance.
Glossary
Abd el Halim Hafez: a singer and youth icon (1929–1977) who starred in many movies as the sort of character Busayna describes.
Abduh: a short form of Abd Rabbuh.
Abu Bakr: the first caliph (successor to the Prophet as ruler of the Islamic state) (died 634).
Abu el Aala el Mawdudi: a revolutionary Indian Islamist thinker (1903–1979).
Abu Hamid el Ghazali: a celebrated scholar of medieval Islam (1058–1111).
Abu Wael, i.e., Father of Wael: it is polite to address a parent by his or her child’s name, preceded by “father of” or “mother of.”
Age of Ignorance (jahiliya): this term is used in general parlance to mean the period before the announcement by the Prophet Muhammad of his mission. Radical Islamic groups, however, apply it to the (in their eyes) nonobservant mass of Muslim society today.
Ali Badawi: a leading jurist of the 1940s.
Ali ibn Abi Talib: son-in-law of the Prophet and fourth caliph (died 661).
Anwar Wagdi: dashing film star of the late 1940s and early 1950s (1904–1955).
Approval and Light Stores: the name has strong religious connotations, the “Approval” and “Light” referred to being God’s.
El ‘Aqrab Prison: a high-security prison in the Western Desert.
El Azhar: a mosque-university in Cairo and one of the most authoritative seats of Islamic learning.
basbusa: baked semolina soaked in syrup.
Bilharzia: a debilitating liver disease contracted by peasants from parasites in irrigation canals.
Center Platform: in 1975, following the liberalization of the economy under Anwar el Sadat, and by way of liberalizing political life, three wings or platforms were allowed within the Socialist Union—the Right, the Center, and the Left. The Center was understood to represent the ruling regime.
Central Security: a heavily armed branch of the police force used for crowd control at demonstrations or after large public events; the riot police.
Court of Cassation: Egypt’s highest court of appeal.
Dar el Salam: a densely inhabited suburb of southern Cairo.
Drinking Sheikh: the logo of a brand of tea, in the form of an old man elegantly dressed in oriental clothes and holding a small cup in his hand.
Egypt Party: within a year or so of the formation of political platforms within the Socialist Union, the platforms were turned into parties. The Center Platform became the Egypt Party.
Emergency Law: in 1981, following the assassination of President Anwar el Sadat, a state of emergency was declared that suspends the constitution and gives expanded powers to the president; the Emergency Law remains in force to the present time.
emir: “commander”; a title used by Islamist groups to denote the leader of a cell or grouping.
Fatiha: the opening chapter of the Qur’an, often recited to conclude and seal a transaction.
The Fayoum: a large agricultural oasis southwest of Cairo that is said to be Egypt’s poorest rural area.
feddan: a unit of land measurement equal to slightly more than an acre.
Free Officers: a clandestine organization within the Egyptian army that organized the overthrow of the monarchy in 1952.
gallabiya: a full-length gown closed in front, the traditional dress worn by many Egyptians.
Gamaa: i.e., Gamaa Islamiya (the “Islamic Group”), one of the best-known Egyptian militant Islamist groups.
Gezira Club: the oldest, best-known, and most socially desirable club in Cairo, with large grounds in Zamalek.
gihad: Muslims distinguish between the “spiritual” or “greater” gihad, which is the Muslim’s effort toward moral and religious perfection, and the “physical” or “lesser” gihad, which is military action for the expansion or defense of Islam. The “paean to gihad,” referred to in the text, could be any of a number of chants popular among Islamic activists. One such chant (used by the Muslim Brotherhood) goes, “Allah is our god, the Prophet our leader, and to die for Allah o
ur dearest wish.”
hadith: an act or saying of the Prophet Muhammad. Reported Traditions are graded from “weak” to “sound” on the basis of the reliablility of their chains of transmission.
Hagg: title of respect to a man who has made the pilgrimage to Mecca.
Hamas: a Palestinian Islamist political and military movement.
Hizbollah: a Lebanese Islamist political and military movement.
El Hussein: grandson of the Prophet Muhammad; a relic of El Hussein is contained in a large mosque in Cairo’s old city that is the focus of intense popular piety.
Imbaba: a poor and densely populated district on the west bank of the Nile.
El Karadawi, Yusef: an influential Egyptian Islamist preacher, writer, and theorist (born 1926).
Khadra el Shareefa: a character in the traditional epic, The Adventures of the Bani Hilal. The chaisty of a high-born woman, Khadra el Shareefa is unjustly impeached.
Khalid: Khalid ibn el Walid, a leading Companion of the Prophet Muhammad and a commander of the Muslim armies during the early conquests (died 642).
Khaybar: an oasis and settlement in the region of Medina, the Prophet’s capital, that was inhabited by Jews. In retaliation for the latter’s intrigues with local Arab tribes against the nascent Muslim state, Khaybar was attacked, besieged, and finally defeated.
Kotzika substation: located on Marouf Street (a turning off Suleiman Basha Street) and named after a Greek businessman who owned property in the area.
Liberation Organization: founded by the new revolutionary regime of Gamal Abd el Nasser in the early 1950s; the liberation alluded to was that of the Canal Zone, from British occupation.
Mahmoud Said: Egyptian painter (1897–1964) of upper-class background, many of whose paintings depict voluptuous women of the lower classes.
El Mansoura: a large town in the northeast Delta, about a hundred miles from Cairo.
modest dress: the concept of “modest dress” gained currency in Egypt in the 1970s and as usually employed means dress that covers all of a woman’s body except her face and hands, conceals the outlines of her figure, and covers her hair and neck; in an extended interpretation, it may involve the covering of the face and hands as well.
Muhammad Naguib: Egypt’s first president, who acceded to the position in 1953 and was deposed by Gamal Abd el Nasser in 1954.
mulukhiya: a leafy green vegetable (Jews’ mallow or Corchorus olitorius) that is prepared as a slightly viscous soup.
Muslim Brothers: an Islamist political movement founded in Egypt in 1928.
Nahhas Basha: Prime minister at the time of the 1952 revolution by Gamal Abd el Nasser’s Free Officers against the monarchy.
National Union: replaced the Liberation Union in the wake of the evacuation of foreign troops from Egypt in 1956.
Open Door Policy: introduced by president Anwar el Sadat with the aim of reversing Gamal Abd el Nasser’s “Arab Socialism” and restoring capitalism to Egypt.
Patriotic Party: no party by this name exists in Egypt.
People’s Assembly: the Lower House of the Egyptian parliament.
People’s suit: a men’s outfit made of unlined cloth and consisting of pants and a short-sleeved top. It was introduced during the Nasser era as a cheap alternative to the conventional business suit and sold at government-owned People’s Stores.
Phantom Mercedes: the nickname of the Mercedes S320 (1991–1998).
rayyis: a title for lower-class men who hold positions of responsibility in traditional occupations.
Saad: Saad ibn Abi Waqqas, a leading Companion of the Prophet Mohammad, reputedly the first Muslim to fire an arrow “in God’s cause,” and a commander of the Muslim armies during the early conquests (died between 670 and 680).
Sa’idis: Upper Egyptians.
Sayed Kutb: Islamic writer and activist, the leading thinker of the Muslim Brothers (1906–1966).
Shibin el Kom: a medium-sized town about eighty kilometers northwest of Cairo.
Sidi Bishr: a suburb of Alexandria.
siwak: a small stick, usually of the arak tree, the tip of which is softened by beating or chewing and which is rubbed on the teeth and gums.
Socialist Union: replaced the National Union in 1961 following massive nationalizations and other measures which inaugurated the new phase of “socialist transformation.”
Suleiman Basha Street: one of the main avenues of Cairo’s Downtown, running between Tahrir (“Liberation”) Square and Twenty-sixth July Street (formerly, King Fouad Street). The street is named after Joseph Sève (1788–1860), a French officer who following the defeat of Napoleon was hired by Muhammad Ali, viceroy of Egypt, and became commander-in-chief of the Egyptian army, having converted to Islam. In 1954, the official name was changed to Talaat Harb Street but many people still use the old name.
Taha Hussein: literary critic, author, and educator (1889–1973).
Tahrir Square: “Liberation Square,” the main square in Cairo’s downtown area.
Talaat Harb Street: though the author generally refers to the street by its original name of Suleiman Basha Street, its official name since 1954 has been Talaat Harb Street, after the nationalist banker and entrepreneur of that name.
Throne Verse: Qur’an II, 255; in Arberry’s translation this reads “God, there is no god but He, the Living, the Everlasting. Slumber seizes Him not, neither sleep; to Him belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth. Who is there that shall intercede with Him save by His leave? He knows what lies before them and what is after them, and they comprehend not anything of His knowledge save such as He wills. His Throne comprises the heavens and the earth; the preserving of them oppresses Him not; He is the All-hearing, the All-glorious” (I, 65).
Turah el Asmant: an industrial suburb about fifteen kilometers south of Cairo and the site of a large cement factory and other major industrial plants.
Umar: Umar ibn el Khattab, the second caliph (died 644).
Vanguard Organization: created in 1964 or 1965 to act as a clandestine network within the Socialist Union to ensure the latter’s fidelity to its socialist vocation.
Wafd: the largest political party during the monarchy.
Workers’ seat: Under the constitution, Egyptian parliamentary constituencies are represented by two seats, one of which is reserved for workers or farmers, the other for “other categories.”
Zaki Naguib Mahmoud: literary critic, translator, and essayist (1905–1993).
Qur’anic References
Had the peoples of the cities
believed and been God-fearing,
We would have opened upon them
blessings from heaven and earth.
VII, 96 (Arberry 155)
It may happen that you will hate
a thing which is better for you.
II, 216 (Arberry 29)
A monstrous word it is, issuing
from their mouths; they say nothing
but a lie.
XVIII, 5 (Arberry 288)
In the name of God, the Merciful,
the Compassionate…. who said of
their brothers…
III, 168–74 (Arberry 66-67)
You have had a good example in
God’s Messenger.
XXXIII, 21 (Arberry 429)
How evil a homecoming!
II, 126 (Arberry 16)
How often a little company has
overcome a numerous company,
by God’s leave!
II, 249 (Arberry 36)
Sweet patience.
LXX, 5 (Arberry 606)
Your women are a tillage for you…
II, 223 (Arberry 31)
Surely God is with the patient.
VIII, 46 (Arberry 174)
In the name of God, the Merciful,
the Compassionate. So let them
fight in the way of God…
IV, 74–75 (Arberry 83)
Acknowledgments
This novel would not have seen
the light without the help of many friends, first among whom is my friend and teacher Alaa el Deeb, to whom I owe the credit for anything I have achieved in the field of literature. Next are Gamal al-Ghitani, who courageously undertook the publication of the novel in Akhbar al-adab, and Dr. Galal Amin, who adopted it enthusiastically and recommended it to the publishers. Likewise, I cannot forget the kindness of Bilal Fadl, Khalid al Sirgani, Ragab Hassan, Makkawi Sa’id, Mahmoud el Wardani, and Muhammad Ibraheem Mabruk, to all of whom I extend my thanks and gratitude.
About the Author
ALAA AL ASWANY is the bestselling author of three previous books published in Arabic. He is a journalist who writes a monthly opposition newspaper column, and he makes his living as a dentist in Cairo, Egypt, where his first office was in the Yacoubian Building. The Yacoubian Building, which caused an immediate scandal due to its sexual frankness when first published in Egypt, has been translated into nine languages and was made into a film. It had the largest budget in Egyptian cinema and has been screened at various international film festivals.
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About the Translator
HUMPHREY DAVIES earned his doctorate in Near Eastern studies from the University of California, Berkeley. He is the translator of Thebes at War by Naguib Mahfouz.
PRAISE FOR
The Yacoubian Building
“Captivating and controversial…. An amazing glimpse of modern Egyptian society and culture.”
—New York Review of Books
“With its interlocking vignettes and intertwining characters, Alaa Al Aswany’s hip and racy novel creates a complex narrative of contemporary Egyptian life.”