The coronavirus pandemic has given us all something to be frustrated about, but one of its few gifts has been time. For some, the fear of losing loved ones has been so consuming that the thought of blocking out the worrisome news constantly being churned out sounds more like a dreamy proposition than anything else. But, as we have come to learn from the stories of brave men and women, both real and fictional, one must never surrender to despair even in the darkest times of turmoil. Here are 7 books by Egyptian authors that will inspire and sustain you through this collective existential crisis. They are stories of ordinary people who, like us, wheather extraordinary changes and circumstances. The Harafish by Naguib Mahfouz This timeless tale follows the story of an Egyptian family and its dramatic fall from grace over generations. The Nagis owe their family name to one of their forebearers, Ahsur El Nagi (Ashur the Survivor), who earned the monicker for surviving the Black Death. Nagi becomes a beloved figure among Cairo’s commoners (the harafish) at the time for leading them to prosperity. His dynasty suffers over…
