The Book of Cairo

The Book of Cairo, edited by Raph Cormack

Towards the end of last year, I came across the Invisible Cities Reading Project (you can find out more information about it here), in which every month three countries are chosen as prompts for readers to direct their reading, with the goal of encouraging discussion around translated works. I decided that I wanted to take part, setting myself the very small goal of simply reading one book from one of the prompt countries a month. Unfortunately, I was not able to take part in January, but for February I have read The Book of Cairo, an anthology of Egyptian short stories about the city of Cairo. As with any short fiction anthology, there were some stories I enjoyed more than others, but overall I really enjoyed this anthology and the way that it manages to so easily transport you to the city of Cairo.

Thirteen Months of Sunrise

Thirteen Months of Sunrise by Rania Mamoun, translated by Elisabeth Jaquette

 Last year, I kept seeing Thirteen Months of Sunrise everywhere I looked online. I was immediately intrigued by the title and the cover, but I had not been able to get a copy until very recently. I have been looking forward to starting this short fiction collection, and there seemed no better book to kick off Women in Translation month 2020 with in my blog reviews. Although this collection was much shorter than I expected, I nonetheless enjoyed reading through Mamoun’s short fiction and discovering more about day to day life in Sudan.