Plot Summary. Among the summaries and analysis available for The Yacoubian Building, there are 2 Short Summaries and 4 Book Reviews. Enjoy this free preview Unlock all 29 pages of this Study Guide by subscribing today. In what way does the building itself embody the class structures of Egyptian society? Part 2. Zika, an aging libertine, feuds with his sister. In the course of this unforgettable novel, these disparate lives converge, careening inexorably toward an explosive conclusion. Some wealthy families occupy the large apartments there, but impoverished residents live on the roof in what was formerly servants' quarters. The Yacoubian Building's treatment of homosexuality is taboo-breaking, particularly for contemporary mainstream Arab literature. He is one of the oldest residents of Suleiman Basha Street, an almost folkloric figure, and his very particular mode of dress and “celebrated cigar” are a part of the natural scenery. In the hot evenings of autumn 2002, Cairo's streetside cafes were packed with … Tragicomic, passionate, shockingly frank in its sexuality, and brimming with an extraordinary, embracing human compassion, The Yacoubian Building is a literary achievement of the first order. The main characters of this fiction, northern africa story are,. | In the course of this unforgettable novel, these disparate lives converge, careening inexorably toward an explosive conclusion. The Yacoubian Building by Alaa Al Aswany. Just click the "Edit page" button at the bottom of the page or learn more in the Synopsis submission guide. 20 By 2006, The Yacoubian Building was already in its eighth Arabic language edition, "making it one … Themes. Summary. Pius Haj Azzam takes a second wife, in secret, to satisfy sexual drive within … The novel described the Yacoubian Building as one of the most luxurious and prestigious apartment blocks in Cairo following its construction by Armenian businessman Hagop Yacoubian in 1934, with government ministers, wealthy manufacturers, and foreigners residing or working out of offices there. Symbols & Motifs. The film opens with a luff tracing the building's history, as wealthy expatriate and Egyptian residents give way, after the 1952 coup that overthrew King Farouk and eventually resulted in the installation of Gamal Abdel Nasser as President of Egypt, to new families, and as the rooftop storage rooms are converted into living space for lower-class families. Each vacated apartment was then occupied by a military officer and his family, who were often of a more rural background and lower social caste than the previous residents. The novel described the Yacoubian Building as one of the most luxurious and prestigious apartment blocks in Cairo following its construction by Armenian businessman Hagop Yacoubian in 1934, with government ministers, wealthy manufacturers, and foreigners residing or working out of offices there. The rooftop community, effectively a slum neighborhood, is symbolic of the urbanizationof Egypt and of the burgeoning population growth in its large cities in recent decades… 34 Talaat Harb, Cairo, Egypt Nevertheless, despite Azzam’s ruthlessness and apparent lack of conscience, even he can be played by men who are more powerful. Cairo: a 70-year-old building of once-luxury flats with tenements on the roof. The Yacoubian Building, No. Depending on the study guide provider (SparkNotes, Shmoop, etc. The intersecting lives of the novel all revolve around the Yacoubian Building.