Cairo: City of Sand

Description

Cairo is a 1400-year-old desert oasis occupied by nearly 16 million people whose lives are shaped and coloured by its proximity to the Nile, and where the pressures of life test the inhabitants to the limit. Cairo: City of Sand reveals a peerless urban balancing act, and transmits Cairo's overriding message - the breadth of human capacity for loss, astonishment, and delight.

Maria Golia writes fiction and non-fiction. She's lived in Rome, Paris and Fort Worth, Texas, and is a long-time resident of Cairo.

a magnificent, multidimensional, eloquent and, above all, intelligent portrait of one of the world's most enigmatic places. Sunday Times packed full of observations of enduring worth ... She writes with wit, immediacy, intimacy and humor. Times Literary Supplement I was half way through Golia's book when the enormity of the challenges faced by the ordinary Cairene ... struck me, a Cairene, full force. Al-Ahram Weekly, Cairo Is it possible for a foreigner living in Cairo, even for many years, to know the soul of this city? ... you will be astonished when you read Maria Golia's book. Sabah El-Kher magazine, Cairo the extent of Golia's insider status really shows ... not just regarding matters specific to Cairo, but to matters of Egyptian-ness in general. Beirut Daily Star astonishingly astute, skillfully critical and deeply empathetic. Daily Star, Egypt written with compassion and understanding in brisk descriptions sprinkled with shrewd insights. Middle East Journal