Egyptian writers
Khaled Al Khamissi: where to start
Khaled Al Khamissi’s Taxi caught the mood of Cairo in the years before the 2011 revolution through the conversations of its taxi drivers. Here is who he is, which of his books to read first, and where to go next.
Who is Khaled Al Khamissi?
Al Khamissi was born in Cairo in 1962 and has worked as a writer, journalist and film producer.
Taxi, a series of short monologues by Cairo taxi drivers, became a best seller in Egypt and was translated into many languages, including English.
Where to start
Best seller
Taxi
Cairo’s taxi drivers talk about money, politics, love and everyday survival.
2009
Noah’s Ark
Egyptians from every walk of life, each looking for a way out of the country.
Why read Khaled Al Khamissi today
Taxi is funny, sad and quick to read, and it is one of the best portraits of everyday Cairo in the 2000s.
Another Egyptian voice
Khaled Al Khamissi listens to Cairo’s streets. A.M. Khalifa sets his thrillers on a bigger map: Terminal Rage moves from a Manhattan office tower to Cairo, Rome and Naples.
A.M. Khalifa grew up in a diplomatic corps family across more than fifteen countries and is the only Egyptian writing commercial espionage fiction in English. His debut, Terminal Rage, has sold more than 500,000 copies and received a starred review from Booklist.
More Egyptian writers
Naguib Mahfouz · Alaa Al Aswany · Ahdaf Soueif · Nawal El Saadawi · Omar El Akkad · Ahmed Mourad · Ahmed Khaled Towfik · Tawfiq al-Hakim · Taha Hussein · Radwa Ashour · Yusuf Idris · Latifa al-Zayyat · Bahaa Taher · Youssef Ziedan · Sonallah Ibrahim · Ibrahim Abdel Meguid · Ezzedine Choukri Fishere · Mansoura Ez-Eldin · Waguih Ghali · Yasmine El Rashidi · Noor Naga · Omar Robert Hamilton · Nabil Farouk · A.M. Khalifa
Questions
What is Taxi by Khaled Al Khamissi about?
Conversations with Cairo taxi drivers about life, money and politics in the years before 2011.
Is Taxi available in English?
Yes. It has been translated into English.
Who are other writers about modern Cairo?
Alaa Al Aswany, Naguib Mahfouz and Yasmine El Rashidi.