Ashjar Tamshi fi al-Askandariaالأشجار تمشي في الإسكندرية

«Trees walking in Alexandria», a novel in the Arabic language by Egyptian novelist Alaa al-Aswany.

The novel deals with the atmosphere of the city of Alexandria during the era of President Gamal Abdel Nasser, focusing on the political, social, and economic changes that accompanied the shift from monarchy to Nasserism, and their impact on Alexandria’s cosmopolitan society. The writer sheds light on a group of foreigners who filled Alexandria at that time and formed a homogeneous fabric with the people of the country. He describes their daily lives and their happy, peaceful world until the revolution struck and turned the scales: some of them had their trade nationalized, some of them exposed to suspicion and intrigue because of their Western origins, and some of them the regime insisted on... Recruiting him through enticement and intimidation to serve him. Likewise, we see in the novel Egyptians who were stripped of their titles and social status, others who were abused by the new wealthy class of money and power, and others who believed so much in the revolution and the justice it promised that they were subjected to grave disappointments. As usual, an enjoyable new novel by Al-Aswani, with its rich events and characters, and its style that seems simple and entertaining while it is loaded with major issues.