Diary of a Country Prosecutor

Who shot Kamar al-Dawla Alwan? Was it a crime of passion? What was the role of the beautiful peasant girl Rim? Is the mysterious Sheikh Asfur as crazy as he seems? Diary of a Country Prosecutor is an Egyptian comedy of errors. Partly autobiographical, it takes the form of a journal of a young public prosecutor posted to a village in rural Egypt. Imbued with the ideals of a European education, he encounters a world of poverty and backwardness where an imported legal system is both alien and incomprehensible.

Review: 'touching and yet savagely funny.' The Bookseller 'a satirical tale of country life under a repressive and far-away Cairo legal system.' Literary Review 'a book to be read and enjoyed ... a classic of translation.' World Literature Today