The General Egyptian Book Organization Decides to Wrestle a Lion
If you’ve been following the news in Egypt, you’ve likely heard of the poor (delusional) soul who’s decided to fight a poor (non-delusional) lion, which he purchased on the black market. If you haven’t, then read the lion-fighter’s Q&A with Ali Abdel Mohsen, where the fighter comes across as some strange mash-up character out of Midaq Alley meets “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber.”
Meanwhile, the General Egyptian Book Organization (GEBO) seems to have caught a strain of this quixotic virus, and is planning to hold a make-up, semi-international book fair during Ramadan. That is, in August. And not on the fairgrounds, but on Faisal Street.
I first saw the news on Youm7’s new English-language website, which they have soft-launched.
You can now find daily English-language arts & culture coverage from Cairo, of varying quality, on:
And weekly on:
June 8, 2011 @ 4:13 pm
Completely POTTY! I mean the GEBO plan. Mass book fair in the hottest month of the year when people are fasting and shorter-tempered than usual??? As delusional as the lion-fighting mash-up character, no?
June 8, 2011 @ 4:26 pm
Well, yes. (Plus no one has extra money on hand for books during Ramadan…) Although ultimately the GEBO is less entertaining.
June 8, 2011 @ 5:57 pm
This has had me shaking my head with amusement all day. I live on Faisal Street and I can’t imagine a worse place to have any sort of fair. Presumably in one of those tents, set up on a barren patch of land, where they sell cheap household goods!
June 8, 2011 @ 6:08 pm
All right, we can have it at my house…
August 21, 2011 @ 3:26 pm
Any news on when the Cairo Book Fair 2012 will take place?
August 22, 2011 @ 6:31 am
No, although I’m assuming end of January/beginning of February, just as in previous years… Otherwise, it steps on the toes of other fairs in the region.