41 pages 1 hour read

Alaa Al Aswany

The Yacoubian Building

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2002

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Essay Topics

1.

The intersecting lives of the novel all revolve around the Yacoubian Building. In what way does the building itself embody the class structures of Egyptian society?

2.

The wealth disparity is made clear to characters on a number of occasions. Who is most hurt by this disparity, and who benefits the most?

3.

Taha’s increasing faith throughout the novel eventually ends in tragedy. To what extent was Taha’s life always doomed to end in tragedy?