Os Pequenos Mundos do Edifício Yacoubian

Located in downtown Cairo, the Yacoubian Building is one of the oldest and most iconic buildings of its time. In this book, author Alaa Al Aswany paints a magnificent portrait of modern Cairo. The enchanting building serves as a backdrop for the intertwined stories of its characters who, through their contradictions, hardships, and dreams, reveal contemporary Egyptian society and how recent decades of history have shaped it. Throughout the narrative, we meet characters such as Zaki Bei, the aristocratic old playboy; Hatim, a homosexual journalist who risks losing everything in an increasingly intolerant world; and Busyana, who is forced into prostitution to support her family; among others, allowing the author to address taboo subjects such as corruption, sexuality, religious fundamentalism, and social inequality. Free from judgment, this book tells the story of people who are neither good nor bad, but who have simply lost their innocence.