After ten years in Paris, Galal returns to Cairo, where he finds a society in transformation. Egypt is Galal's home, but he feels he no longer belongs there. He is caught between his two identities: his Jewish mother's family are cosmopolitan business people, while his father's family are rural farmers from the Delta. Kamal Ruhayyim paints an uncompromising portrait of an older generation dictating how their children live and love. Menorahs and Minarets is the concluding part of Ruhayyim's compelling trilogy.
Kamal Ruhayyim, born in Egypt in 1947, has a PhD in law from Cairo University. He is the author of a collection of short stories and five novels, including Diary of a Jewish Muslim (AUC Press, 2014) and Days in the Diaspora (AUC Press, 2012). Through his career in the Egyptian police force and Interpol he has lived in Cairo and Paris. Sarah Enany, with a Ph.D. in drama, is a lecturer in the English Department of Cairo University. Her translation credits include works by Yusuf Idris, Mohamed Salmawy, Jerzy Grotowski, and Kamal Ruhayyim's Diary of a Jewish Muslim and Days in the Diaspora (AUC Press, 2014, 2012).
