Sonallah Ibrahim is a well-known writer in his Homeland, Egypt, but very little of his work has been translated into English. Descriptions of his writing note its overtly political nature and his use of contemporary texts—news articles and similar items. The Turban and the Hat does make use of a contemporary text, but "contemporary" in this instance means Late 18th Century Cairo, and the text he's drawing from is Abd al-Rahman al-Jabarti's record of the invasion and occupation of Cairo by the French as it occurred from 1798-1801. It's interesting to note that there are actually two different versions of the occupation written by al-Jabarti: the original version and a rewrite that was less critical of the Ottoman Turks who helped push the French out of Cairo—an example of the long history of political spin.

Ibrahim's central character is an imagined student of al-Jabarti. Early on, he travels about Cairo, observing happenings, then reporting these back to al-Jabarti. As the student observes what al-Jabarti includes and excludes from the account, he decides to write his own version of events. The narrator, who speaks some French, quickly gains a place among the French translating documents and occasional in-person interactions. As a result, he has contact with not just the French military, but also with the large corps of scholars and scientists who accompanied Napoleon's army.

One of the lessons here is about the nature of collaboration and exploitation. No matter which army controls Cairo, locals suffer through seizure of their goods, rising prices, and a brutal sort of "justice." Al-Jabarti, our narrator's teacher is one of these collaborators, though that isn't how he would depict himself. He would argue that his role on the Cairene council advising the French occupiers is one of strategic and subtle protection of the city and its residents. Near the novel's end, the narrator takes a step away from the pragmatic response of his teacher, writing and posting condemnations of the French.

Another lesson involves the brutality of war and the aggrandized reports sent from the front, depicting every skirmish,no matter how devastating, as a victory. The book notes that 40,000 troops arrived in Egypt with Napoleon; only 20,000 lived to return to France. War is only glorious in the abstract. In person, it is ugly, chaotic, and brutal as the narrator discovers.

The role of women in this novel is marginal and women are not treated as fully human. There are several brief references to honor killings. The narrator repeatedly rapes a household servant. Why? Because he can. He becomes involved with a French woman whose independence leaves him consternated. He assumes that engaging in sex essentially makes her his—and as she embraces other lovers he's at a loss to understand the logic of her world. These scenes are difficult to read, but seem true to the time period Ibrahim is exploring.

The Turban and the Hat is relatively brief at 200 pages and can make for a quick read, but it leaves the reader with a great deal to think about, particularly given the nature of armed conflict in our present world. Warfare has changed hugely and it has not changed at all. Factionalism is endless, and it is much easier to conquer than it is to lead a nation into a healthy post-war era.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via EdelweissPlus; the opinions are my own. ( )