Issue No. 607
Opinion
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10 - 16 October 2002 Issue No. 607 Opinion |
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Recommend this page | ||
The A city with a past
Alexandria is making a comeback with the resurrection of its bibliotheca. I have always had a soft spot in my heart for the city, perhaps not to the extent that I do for parts of Old Cairo, but close. When I was young, the sea was a novelty for me and my fellow Cairenes; its mystique was as endless as its waves. Cairenes would dream of the Mediterranean shores, which seemed so distant, so exotic. I used to go to Alexandria each year for my summer holidays and I adored the city, loved its people, and made many friends. Some of my Alexandria friends still ask about me to this day, although I haven't, due to illness, been able to go there for the past 10 years.
I wrote many short stories and a couple of novels about Alexandria. The Quails and Autumn and Miramar, for example. You will notice that the main characters were all drifters to such an extent that they needed a setting that would plausibly reflect their moods, accommodate their peripatetic souls and soothe their restless psyches. Alexandria, a once great city that was sidelined by history and overshadowed by Cairo, was a perfect backdrop for them. Cairo would not have been a suitable setting. It was too central, vibrant and overwhelming.
Based on an interview by Mohamed Salmawy.
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