Ten years ago when I was Youssef Rakha and a revolution was breaking out in Tahrir Square, I was visited by a phantom who, in a Romance language I didn’t recognize, revealed to me the contents of this book. Without words, the phantom gave me a codified prophecy that I would not decipher until I was someone else and it was coming true…
But make no mistake, Rakha is an original. - Zein El-Amine, The Markaz Review
It’s difficult to explain how these stories are gory and hilarious, frightening and realistic at the same time … Relatable! But also not. – Sarah Manvel, Exacting Clam
Have been loving this wild, intelligent, superrealistic, and totally moreish collection of stories from post-Spring Egypt. – Alexander Wells
EMISSARIES, Youssef Rakha's first volume of original English fiction, is a collection of revolution-juggling, PKD-, Ballard- and Burroughs-inspired short stories about the Arab Spring and its aftermath in Cairo.
Read excerpts on The London Magazine and Minor Literatures, listen to a conversation featuring Yumna Kassab, Guy Gunaratne and Alexander Booth with extracts from the audio book, and order here.
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Youssef Rakha is an Egyptian novelist, poet and essayist working in both Arabic and English.
