Middle East/North African Lit discussion

It is my pleasure to open this thread for our reading of I Want to Get Married!: One Wannabe Bride's Misadventures with Handsome Houdinis, Technicolor Grooms, Morality Police, and Other Mr. Not-Quite-Rights / عايزة أتجوز by Ghada Abdel Aal.

This book began as a blog, and became a book, which has been translated into several languages. It was also adapted to an Egyptian musalsal / TV show. You can see it here. There are reviews of the book in The National here and on Muslimah Media Watch here.

I heard Ghada Abdel Aal speak in Austin, TX in 2010, and she seemed extremely intelligent, witty, and articulate. She was attending the U. of Iowa program for international writers at that time. She spoke about the freedom of blogging, and how it provides a place for sharing one's feelings and thoughts openly, especially for young people. She uses colloquial language because it is good for satire, resembling the language used in conversation, as if you were sitting together in a coffee shop. Her blog was controversial because it publicized a girl's private desires.

She grew up in a small town north of Cairo, where there were no bookstores or cultural centers, so she would go to the annual book fair in Cairo every year, and buy about 50 books with her saved-up money to last her for the year. She read Arabic literature only, and studied at the university in Tanta.

One statement from her speech that I wrote in my notes:
"I don't believe in this trend of writers writing for other writers. No, I write for my readers."

She said that her intended audience was women of Egypt and the Gulf region. I hope that you will enjoy this book, and I look forward to the discussion!

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For a while now I've been trying to stop buying books. Unfortunately my library does not have it, so I've ordered it as an inter-library loan.
I hope I can get a hold of a copy and read it!

I finished this today. It is a light and easy read but at the same time it is witty and funny. Ghada Abdel Aal does no favours to Egyptian men and caricatures them very unfavourably. I think I would rather stay single than accept any of the men that presented themselves as potential husbands to the author!

Anne wrote: "I finished this today. It is a light and easy read but at the same time it is witty and funny. Ghada Abdel Aal does no favours to Egyptian men and caricatures them very unfavourably. I think I woul..."

I'm curious to read it! I'm still waiting for my copy.

I'm glad you liked it, Anne! I'm enjoying it too. I'm reading it in Arabic, and there's one section called something like: In Defense of the Egyptian Woman--the Bully. That's the English translation, but I think it would be more accurate as: In Defense of the Egyptian Woman--the Bitch. Not as polite, perhaps, but much more realistic I think to how people talk. More colloquial!

Also, your point about her doing no favors to Egyptian men reminds me of the question that I asked her after her presentation in Texas. I asked her something like: What about the men? Aren't they also victims of the patriarchal system? She responded that they can tell their own stories. She's just telling her own perspective. It's more amusing that way, but I'd love to read a similar book from the perspective of a guy. Just for more representation!

Yes, I think it would be fun to have had a book with chapters written by the different suitors giving their point of view of the meetings.

From what I understand , there is a gender imbalance in Egypt, so I wonder if that means men don't feel that they have to try so hard?

Anne, I like your book idea. If you want my two cents, the gender imbalance (aka patriarchy) is universal. Ghada Abdel Aal makes me laugh and sigh over her experiences and observations of gendered inconsistencies and double standards in Egyptian society, but there are just as many in any society.

Melanie wrote: "Anne, I like your book idea. If you want my two cents, the gender imbalance (aka patriarchy) is universal. Ghada Abdel Aal makes me laugh and sigh over her experiences and observations of gendered ..."

No doubt gender imbalance-patriarchy is universal!
My copy is on the way, so hopefully I'll be joining you all in a few days!

I started this morning. What horrible suitors she's had up to now! I don't blame her for staying single!

I'm glad you got your copy. I'm still reading...

Honestly I think it's the type of book where I'd enjoy it more in blog form and not reading it straight through like a novel.