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Rise : the story of the Egyptian revolution as written shortly before it began
‘Al Khan’ Comic Strips Published in Egypt in the Lead-Up to the Uprising
132 pages, Paperback
First published May 5, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 17, 2018
Wry, Edgy, Brilliant Satire
I've been a fan of Tarek Shahin's "Al Khan" comic strip since I first noticed it in the Egypt Daily News about 3 years ago. I've got a blow up of one his cartoons (May 23, 2009) over my work desk at home. This is worth owning.
Shahin manages to communicate the complexity of modern Egypt by simply playing his delightful cast of characters against one another. The basic story line revolves around conservative 30 something Omar Shukri who has returned from life as a stockbroker in London to run his grandfather's independent newspaper. His best friend Anwar (for reasons he can never remember) is a narrow minded and somewhat clueless traditional Muslim doctor with a veiled wife Aisha and a 2nd wife, an undercover American sociologist who is studying the family. Anwar, who is somewhat prejudiced, befriends "Brother Levi", a Jewish student from Britain whom he he believes to be a fellow Muslim. Omar's main reporter Nadia is a firebrand Marxist, her mother a fading Egyptian movie star who doesn't realize her day is done. Her best friends are the quiet self deprecating Coptic photographer sidekick Yunan and the mysterious "Big Fellafel", a half blind street beggar who is much more than he seems. The conflict is generated over the stories covered, the running of the the newspaper and the lives and family of the main characters.
IMHO this is one of the best strips out there, comparable to Yaacov Kirshen's "Dry Bones". The dialog crackles with life and each of the dozens of "cast members" providing a nipping commentary on different aspects of society . The drawings are good, though at times Shahin will reuse the exact same panel with only the dialog changing. In the 3rd year the strip pushes much further, taking on sexual harassment, the Muslim Brotherhood, fundamentalism, government corruption and attitudes towards lesbianism When the strip ended somewhat abruptly in April 2010 I was concerned that Shahin had been arrested or forced to stop working. Thankfully Shahin appears to be well, there are some new panels to introduce the book and a very brief description of his participation in the rally at Tahir Square.
Inshallah we will see more of Shaheen's work in the near future. Recommended.
I've been a fan of Tarek Shahin's "Al Khan" comic strip since I first noticed it in the Egypt Daily News about 3 years ago. I've got a blow up of one his cartoons (May 23, 2009) over my work desk at home. This is worth owning.
Shahin manages to communicate the complexity of modern Egypt by simply playing his delightful cast of characters against one another. The basic story line revolves around conservative 30 something Omar Shukri who has returned from life as a stockbroker in London to run his grandfather's independent newspaper. His best friend Anwar (for reasons he can never remember) is a narrow minded and somewhat clueless traditional Muslim doctor with a veiled wife Aisha and a 2nd wife, an undercover American sociologist who is studying the family. Anwar, who is somewhat prejudiced, befriends "Brother Levi", a Jewish student from Britain whom he he believes to be a fellow Muslim. Omar's main reporter Nadia is a firebrand Marxist, her mother a fading Egyptian movie star who doesn't realize her day is done. Her best friends are the quiet self deprecating Coptic photographer sidekick Yunan and the mysterious "Big Fellafel", a half blind street beggar who is much more than he seems. The conflict is generated over the stories covered, the running of the the newspaper and the lives and family of the main characters.
IMHO this is one of the best strips out there, comparable to Yaacov Kirshen's "Dry Bones". The dialog crackles with life and each of the dozens of "cast members" providing a nipping commentary on different aspects of society . The drawings are good, though at times Shahin will reuse the exact same panel with only the dialog changing. In the 3rd year the strip pushes much further, taking on sexual harassment, the Muslim Brotherhood, fundamentalism, government corruption and attitudes towards lesbianism When the strip ended somewhat abruptly in April 2010 I was concerned that Shahin had been arrested or forced to stop working. Thankfully Shahin appears to be well, there are some new panels to introduce the book and a very brief description of his participation in the rally at Tahir Square.
Inshallah we will see more of Shaheen's work in the near future. Recommended.
October 30, 2013
You're white, you had the relatively average white upbringing, you consider yourself reasonably intelligent, but not exactly the brightest of the bunch. You had certain conceptions of the world in large that filtered down.
Then you read something like Rise. It shocks and evokes mirth in equal measures. Sometimes you really have to think about what is being said before it hits you. Sometimes you can't believe it and are surprised when you find it's true. Most of all, not without some shame here, you're surprised Arabs (is this even the correct term? hate to lump people in a potentially racist categorization) can be funny as hell. You saw them on TV (a woefully limited in perspective and selection) as being always angry, always throwing rocks and always bleeding. You find it hard to imagine yourself living like that.
Tarek Shahin quite possibly courts death by this bitingly funny Doonesbury like strip that uses the Al Khan, an Egyptian publishing company as a foil to explore the issues leading up to the revolution. Basically you have Shahin pitting the corporate view against the view of the people, by way of the company's owner Omar and teh editor in chief Nada, respectively. Shahin uses them to sketch teh big picture, and the details are revealed by the cast of minor but not lesser characters.
My favorite has to be Anwar who is so deeply entrenched in his bigotism and belief to be true, and his observations and responses to certain social issues made me desperately hopeful these were not true to life facts. Alas.
This has made me a bit more open-minded toward certain cultural artifacts and more curious about the surrounding issues. Despite the Egyptians who are angry, abstract and distant on television, rest assured they are as passionate, as confused on the little details of right and wrong as we are. For me Shahin has illuminated from afar, and one must appreciate that, despite the circumstances, everyone's human.
Then you read something like Rise. It shocks and evokes mirth in equal measures. Sometimes you really have to think about what is being said before it hits you. Sometimes you can't believe it and are surprised when you find it's true. Most of all, not without some shame here, you're surprised Arabs (is this even the correct term? hate to lump people in a potentially racist categorization) can be funny as hell. You saw them on TV (a woefully limited in perspective and selection) as being always angry, always throwing rocks and always bleeding. You find it hard to imagine yourself living like that.
Tarek Shahin quite possibly courts death by this bitingly funny Doonesbury like strip that uses the Al Khan, an Egyptian publishing company as a foil to explore the issues leading up to the revolution. Basically you have Shahin pitting the corporate view against the view of the people, by way of the company's owner Omar and teh editor in chief Nada, respectively. Shahin uses them to sketch teh big picture, and the details are revealed by the cast of minor but not lesser characters.
My favorite has to be Anwar who is so deeply entrenched in his bigotism and belief to be true, and his observations and responses to certain social issues made me desperately hopeful these were not true to life facts. Alas.
This has made me a bit more open-minded toward certain cultural artifacts and more curious about the surrounding issues. Despite the Egyptians who are angry, abstract and distant on television, rest assured they are as passionate, as confused on the little details of right and wrong as we are. For me Shahin has illuminated from afar, and one must appreciate that, despite the circumstances, everyone's human.
October 31, 2014
I really have an appreciation for graphic novels because as someone who is extremely textual, it forces me to process information differently. It took me a little bit to get into this book mainly because there was very little context around Egyptian politics and so it took me some time to become acclimated with the references. However, as a lover of Islamic Studies, I appreciated the perspectives offered in this comic series. I think like any good political cartoon series, this one takes an honest, internal, self-deprecating look at the state of Egyptian politics. And like any American, I LOVED the references to the shoe throwing at Bush, the tribute to Michael Jackson, the Beyonce reference, and that Nov 4 isn't just about American elections. I can't help it...I'm just as ethnocentric as the next guy!
on-hiatus
January 17, 2014I don't think I'll get back to this collection, as I was expecting something edited and contextualized for a Western audience and this wasn't it.
I was irked by some of his characterizations. I didn't think it was that funny. I didn't really know enough about Egyptian politics to understand these strips. It feels a little tenuous to say this is the story of the revolution (before it happened) when the story isn't told in a cohesive, comprehensible way. This is an anthology of strips by a socially conscious Egyptian that ran in the paper during a time just before the revolution. Just wasn't my thing.
I was irked by some of his characterizations. I didn't think it was that funny. I didn't really know enough about Egyptian politics to understand these strips. It feels a little tenuous to say this is the story of the revolution (before it happened) when the story isn't told in a cohesive, comprehensible way. This is an anthology of strips by a socially conscious Egyptian that ran in the paper during a time just before the revolution. Just wasn't my thing.
September 10, 2014
As a Westerner, this was an eye-opening read to gain perspective on the various conflicting groups (and subgroups) within Egyptian society. Knowing it pre-dated the revolution by only nine months makes it intuitive, if not prophetic. It is historical, contemporary, witty, intelligent, bittersweet, honest, raw, and funny. It is also only an invitation to learn more about Egypt's complex political and social history and I am motivated to read more in-depth historical and works about Egypt. The Yacoubian Building was also recommended to me as a similar fictional read which is also on my list.
February 27, 2012
Collection of Egyptian comic strips will draw immediate comparisons to Doonesbury. A funny look at life in another country-many things are the same, but some are completely different.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews