Zayni Barakat
by Al-Ghitani, Gamal
The narrators of this unforgettable novel tell the story of the rise to power of the ruthless, enigmatic, and puritanical governor of Cairo, Zayni Barakat ibn Musa, whose control of the corrupt city is effected only through a complicated network of spies and informers. Now, in 1516, the Mamluk reign is coming to an end with the advance of the invading Ottomans.
Review
“A gripping, unforgettable work of prose fiction. It displays its author’s originality of conception and execution at every step.” – Edward Said, in his Foreword to the book; “Whether read as a colorful evocation of past times or as a bleak political parable, Zayni Barakat succeeds brilliantly.” – Robert Irwin, Times Literary Supplement”
About the Author
Gamal al-Ghitani, born in Upper Egypt in 1945, is the author of The Mahfouz Dialogs (AUC Press, 2007), Pyramid Texts (AUC Press, 2007), and The Zafarani Files (AUC Press, 2009). Farouk Abdel Wahab is Ibn Rushd Professorial Lecturer in Arabic at the University of Chicago. His most recent translation is Gamal al-Ghitani’s The Zafarani Files (AUC Press, 2009).