Midnight in Cairo: The Female Stars of Egypt's Roaring '20s

Review: 'A spectacular parade of the extraordinary, bold and brash Egyptian women who shot to fame in the early years of globalised celebrity culture.' The Times; 'A revelation ... in this tremendous act of historical discovery, Cormack has unearthed the regal figures and buried treasures of Cairo's golden age. He is the Howard Carter of the demi-monde.' The Telegraph; 'Midnight in Cairo delivers a place, time and people you'll wish you'd personally known. ... Cormack deftly outlines the shifts in political mood and popular tastes that Cairo's entertainment scene both responded to and inspired.' TLS ;'A captivating journey through [Cairo's] bars, cafes, cabaret clubs and music halls during a magical era when some of its biggest stars were women.' The Herald; 'Fascinating ... Midnight in Cairo is a fizzing tale of an underexplored period ... [These female performers] changed the terms of Egyptian popular culture and blazed a path for women.'David Gardner, Financial Times; 'An utterly unique book, teeming with vividly recounted stories, at times hilarious and at times tragic. These were true feminists avant la lettre who defied the societal norms and authorities of their time, both in Egypt and abroad. This inspiring gem of a book gripped me from beginning to end.' Hanan al-Shaykh, author of Women of Sand and Myrrh; 'Important, insightful and fascinating ... Cormack highlights an important period in Egypt's modern history - almost unknown in the West - when its cosmopolitan culture was characterized by a tolerance of all races and religions ... This is a must-read.' Alaa Al Aswany, author of The Yacoubian Building; 'A book full of surprises. A lively story of women shaping gender, class, money and national liberation issues from the music halls and cabarets of early twentieth-century Cairo.' Ahdaf Soueif, author of Cairo: Memoir of a City Transformed; 'An unexpected story of powerful women and their no less powerful voices ... Beguiling and original.' Marina Warner, author of Forms of Enchantment; 'Packed with pizzazz and fizzing with naughtiness ... a thrilling reminder of the richness and wonder of Egyptian culture in the roaring twenties.' Justin Marozzi, author of Baghdad: City of Peace, City of Blood;