Alexandrian Cosmopolitanism: An ArchiveInterrogating how Alexandria became enshrined as the exemplary cosmopolitan space in the Middle East, this book mounts a radical critique of Eurocentric conceptions of cosmopolitanism. The dominant account of Alexandrian cosmopolitanism elevates things European in the city's culture and simultaneously places things Egyptian under the sign of decline. The book goes beyond this civilization/barbarism binary to trace other modes of intercultural solidarity. Halim presents a comparative study of literary representations, addressing poetry, fiction, guidebooks, and operettas, among other genres. She reappraises three writers--C. P. Cavafy, E. M. Forster, and Lawrence Durrell--whom she maintains have been cast as the canon of Alexandria. Attending to issues of genre, gender, ethnicity, and class, she refutes the view that these writers' representations are largely congruent and uncovers a variety of positions ranging from Orientalist to anti-colonial. The book then turns to Bernard de Zogheb, a virtually unpublished writer, and elicits his Camp parodies of elite Levantine mores in operettas one of which centers on Cavafy. Drawing on Arabic critical and historical texts, as well as contemporary writers' and filmmakers' engagement with the canonical triumvirate, Halim orchestrates an Egyptian dialogue with the European representations. |
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Al—Ahram Weekly al—Iskandariyya Alexander Alexandria Archive Alexandria Quartet Alexandrian cosmopolitanism Alexandrian Greek Ammonis ancient ancient Egypt Arabic Artagal Ayoub Sinano barbarian Bernard de Zogheb Bibliotheca Alexandrina British BTCT C. P. Cavafy Cairo canon Cavafy’s Cavafy’s poem CEAlex century chapter Christian cited city’s colonial Constantin Cavafy context Coptic Copts cosmopolitanism critical cultural discourse discussion Durrell’s E. M. Forster edited Egypt Egyptian El-Adl English essay ethnic European figure film find first Greece guidebook Halim Hellenism Hellenistic hence History HTQK Ibid identified Ilbert influence Islam Italian Justine Kavafis Keeley language Lawrence Durrell letter Levantine libretti librettist Liddell literary Mediterranean Merrill Misr modern mosques Mountolive Muhammad Muslim narrative neocolonial Nessim novel novelist ofthe Orientalism Orientalist Pinchin poet poet’s poetry Pola postcolonial published quotation reference reflections Savidis significant Singopoulos Sorelle specifically texts tion translation trope Tsirkas University Press Western writing Youssef Chahine Zogheb