Alaa Al Aswany’s ‘Chicago’ illuminates the lives of Egyptian intellectuals amidst dictatorship and corruption. Set in Chicago, this novel deeply explores the conflicts and realities faced by Egyptians who left their homeland, examining political oppression and the complex tapestry of human characters.
About Alaa Al Aswany
Egyptian novelist and dentist Alaa Al Aswany (born 1957) was born into a middle-class family in the capital, Cairo. His family, known for its high level of education, is recognized as having produced literary figures. His father, Abbas Al Aswany, was a lawyer and writer who revived the maqāmāt, a unique form of medieval Arabic prose, naming his version the ‘Aswany Maqāmāt’ in the 1960s. Though his father won a national award for his novel ‘al-Aswār al-ʿĀliyah’, he never achieved the same level of fame as his son. Alaa Al Aswany’s grandfather was also an improvisational poet.
Alaa Al Aswany states his father was his first literary mentor. His father not only taught him writing but also gave him the large study in their home. Thanks to this, Alaa Al Aswany grew up surrounded by a study filled with all kinds of humanistic books from a young age. He also received guidance from his father’s friends, who represented Egypt’s intellectual elite. Thus, from childhood, his hobbies were reading and writing. However, his father, a lawyer, advised him against pursuing writing as a career, fearing his son might abandon his livelihood if he devoted himself to novels. Consequently, Alaa Al Aswany enrolled in the University of Illinois at Chicago’s College of Dentistry and earned a master’s degree. Alongside his studies, he mastered foreign languages like French and Spanish at university, becoming fluent in them.
He still practices dentistry as his livelihood. Regarding this choice, he states he prefers to keep writing as a hobby that allows him to dream and breathe, rather than as a means to make a living. Alaa Al Aswany, also an active intellectual, is a member of the ‘Kifāyah’ movement, a popular campaign in Egypt aimed at ousting former President Mubarak, who had ruled the country for 30 years. He writes a monthly column for the Egyptian newspaper Jarīdah al-ʿArabī.
His published novels include ‘Jamʿīyah Muntaẓirī al-Zaʿīm’ (1998), ‘ʿImārah Yaʿqūbiyān’ (2002), ‘Nīrān Ṣadīqah’ (2004), ‘Chicago’ (2007), ‘Nādī al-Sayyārat’ (2013). Themes in most of his novels tend to attack the government, viewing the Egyptian dictatorship prior to the January 2011 Egyptian Revolution (the 25 January Revolution) as the root cause of all societal problems. His works of current affairs commentary written around the time of the Egyptian Revolution include ‘Why Don’t the Egyptians Revolt?’ (2010) and ‘Did the Egyptian Revolution Fail?’ (2012).
Alaa Al Aswany stood among the citizens in the ranks of the democratic revolution protests at Cairo’s central ‘Maidan al-Tahreer’ (Liberation Square) in January 2011. He demonstrated his character as an intellectual who not only attacked the dictatorial government through his novels but also joined the Egyptian people in chanting “Down with dictatorship!” and “Mubarak must go!”, acting without reservation. Since then, through relentless writing, lectures, and media appearances, he has continuously emphasized the realization of democracy in Egypt and the guarantee of the people’s freedom and rights, actively participating in the movement to complete the unfinished revolution.
‘Chicago’ Synopsis
While ‘ʿImārah Yaʿqūbiyān’ was set in the author’s homeland of Egypt, ‘Chicago’ takes place in the United States, where the author resided during his studies. Examining the author’s biography and afterword reveals that both titles reflect his personal life experiences. ʿImārah Yaʿqūbiyān is the name of a building in downtown Cairo where the author opened his private dental practice, while Chicago is the American city where the University of Illinois, where the author studied and earned his Master of Dental Science degree, is located. This suggests that the author’s actual life experiences were utilized in the novel. ‘ʿImārah Yaʿqūbiyān’ is a work inspired by the author’s observations of the ancient, majestic buildings in downtown Cairo, where he lived. It aims to depict Egypt’s changing times, the lives of people intimately connected to these buildings, and especially the overarching problems of Egyptian society under a dictatorial regime. The author’s life in Cairo forms the foundation of this work. In contrast, ‘Chicago’ likely draws from the author’s own experience studying abroad, as it encompasses diverse life stories of Egyptian students and Egyptian-American professors at a U.S. university.
This novel centers on Egyptians living or staying in Chicago. The characters include Egyptian-American professors in the University of Illinois’s Department of Sociology (Rafaat Sabit, Muhammad Salah), Egyptian exchange students (Tariq Hasib, Shayma Muhammad, Ahmad Danana, Naji Abdul Samad), an Egyptian Coptic immigrant (Karim Doss), and a security officer at the Egyptian Consulate in Chicago (Safwat Shakir). While the novel touches on common themes like the cultural and mindset differences Egyptians experience in America, the alienation and loneliness of being a foreigner, and homesickness for their homeland, these are not the primary focus of the work. Rather, the author’s intent seems to be to use these characters as a lens through which to examine Egypt’s current predicament. That is, attention should be paid to the relationship between these individuals and Egypt’s politics, society, and culture. Specifically, it would be beneficial to read the novel with an awareness of how the pervasive corruption and authoritarian regime in Egypt dictate and determine the life paths of Egyptian intellectuals. Among the highly educated intellectuals, some curry favor with the dictatorial regime to pursue personal advancement and prosperity; others resist and oppose the system, becoming targets of repression; and still others completely disengage from domestic affairs, pursuing only their own success and desires. There are also intellectuals who harbor dissatisfaction with the dictatorship and intentions to resist, yet hesitate to translate these into action. Thus, during the long reign of an all-powerful ruler within Egypt (likely President Hosni Mubarak in reality), the novel reveals the diverse faces of these intellectuals.
Above all, the novel contains criticism and resistance against Egypt’s dictatorial regime. In this regard, ‘Chicago’ shares the same vein as ‘ʿImārah Yaʿqūbiyān’ and can be seen as a work extending that line of thought. The student Najee, classified as part of the so-called activist circle, continues to criticize the domestic regime even after coming to the United States and maintains a critical view of the American government for supporting the maintenance of such a dictatorial regime. Karam Dos, an outstanding surgeon who achieved success in America, also shares Najee’s views on his homeland’s situation. Najee couldn’t become a doctor in Egypt due to his activist background, while Karam left his homeland as a Coptic Christian facing discrimination. Both harboring a love-hate relationship with their homeland, they plan to issue a statement calling for the overthrow of the dictatorship during the Egyptian president’s visit to Chicago. Meanwhile, Egyptians in Chicago seek to thwart their anti-government movement. They are Safwat, the National Security officer at the Egyptian Consulate, and his lackey, the student Danna. Safwat, a lackey of the dictatorship, rose through the ranks by suppressing anti-government activists with every despicable method. Danana, abandoning her duties as a student, became Safwat’s henchman, monitoring and reporting on the every move of Egyptian students in Chicago. Set in Chicago, the novel centers on the conflict and tension between these two sides.
Focusing on this political and social conflict structure, the novel shows various facets of the lives of Egyptians in Chicago observed around it. Among these is the doomed romantic relationship between the student Najee and the Jewish woman Wendy, hinting at the irreconcilable reality between Arabs and Israelis. Then there is Professor Salah, who immigrated thirty years ago, leaving his lover Zainab behind in Egypt, and now lives with an American wife. He still yearns for Zainab, who in her youth was a student activist resisting the dictatorial regime. Professor Raafat, who despises his homeland Egypt and praises America, is devastated when his daughter Sarah, born and raised in the US, dies after living with a drug-addicted lover. The student Tarek meets and falls in love with Shayma, another Egyptian female student. Tariq, who had been devoted to his studies for success, becomes engrossed in romance and neglects his academics. Shayma, from a conservative family, feels guilty about her actions deviating from Islamic tradition as she deepens her relationship with Tariq.
While unfolding these diverse events in the lives of Egyptians, the novel observes the lives of Americans in Chicago and presents an Arab perspective on issues within the United States. One example is Graham, Najee’s dissertation advisor. A former romantic idealist who criticized American capitalism and participated in the Vietnam War protest movement in his youth, he remains a politically active professor who critiques American conservatism and imperialist policies. Carol, a young Black woman living with Graham, faces racial discrimination and is forced into modeling lingerie to make ends meet. Professor Raafat’s daughter Sarah, like many American youths, leaves home to live independently with her boyfriend Jeff. However, succumbing to his influence, she becomes addicted to drugs and ultimately loses her life. After the failed attempt to issue an anti-dictatorship statement planned during the Egyptian president’s visit to the US, Nazee is subjected to a harsh interrogation by American intelligence agents who received a tip from Egyptian intelligence. Thus, the novel reveals the grim social problems lurking behind the glamorous facade of America as a capitalist superpower striding through modern high-tech civilization—drug addiction, prostitution, the commodification of sex, and racial discrimination—along with the atmosphere of an American society hyper-sensitive to terrorism after 9/11 and the flaws in foreign policy, such as supporting the Egyptian dictatorship for national interests.
The novel does not offer clear solutions to the problems revealed through the experiences of various Egyptians in Chicago. At the end, the attempt by conscious individuals like Najia and Karam to issue an anti-dictatorship statement fails due to Professor Salah’s indecisiveness. Salah blames himself and chooses suicide, while Najia is captured by American intelligence agents. Raafat, an admirer of American culture, loses his daughter who had vowed to live independently from her parents and descends into a pit of doubt and despair. Shayma, the exchange student who forgot Islamic tradition and fell in love with Tariq, becomes psychologically unstable and goes to the hospital for an abortion. Dana’s wife, fed up with her husband’s vulgar nature—prioritizing government informant work over his studies—escapes Chicago and returns alone to Egypt. Naji, having suspected Wendy—whom he truly loved—of being an intelligence agent, receives a breakup notice from her. Thus, the Egyptians in this work are bewildered that their dreams and plans fail to materialize in America. Calls for overthrowing dictatorship and establishing democracy are blocked, families fall apart, and love fails to bear fruit. The translator will offer no further interpretation or opinion regarding this conclusion of the novel. Reading and interpreting the work is the reader’s responsibility. Author Alaa Al Aswany, in his earlier work ‘ʿImārah Yaʿqūbiyān’, merely depicted the lives of various people living in Cairo and presented their problems without offering solutions. ‘Chicago’ seems similar in this regard. I look forward to readers’ diverse opinions on what the author intended to convey in ‘Chicago’.
