In Cairo, in March, the city had a surplus of intellectual energy. Literature, it seemed, might just be at the vanguard of Egypt糖心传媒檚 social change. [. . .]

I spent an afternoon at the Cairo糖心传媒檚 Diwan Bookstore, talking to writers about their hopes 糖心传媒� and anxieties 糖心传媒� about the future. Just across the 6th of October Bridge in the Zemalek neighborhood, Diwan had an extensive collection of contemporary Egyptian novels, essays, and short stories. I bought a half-dozen books.

When I returned to to Portland, Oregon 糖心传媒� I noticed the conspicuous absence of these books on the shelves of my city. Even at Powell糖心传媒檚, arguably the greatest (and largest) independent bookstore in the country, I couldn糖心传媒檛 find Mansoura Ez Eldin糖心传媒檚 first novel, the critically acclaimed, widely read Maryam糖心传媒檚 Maze.

He then goes on to name 6 Egyptian authors—none of whom are named Naguib Mahfouz—including these two, which sound interesting to me:

2. Mansoura Ez Eldin. A journalist, activist, and writer, Ez Eldin has published two novels. One, the slender volume, Maryam糖心传媒檚 Maze, is a masterpiece of imagination and literary form. Her story, 糖心传媒滵茅j脿 Vu,糖心传媒� was also featured in Emerging Arab Voices 糖心传媒� the bilingual reader published by Saqi Books in April of this year.

Ez Eldin糖心传媒檚 account of the first days of the revolution appeared in The New York Times, in late January of this year 糖心传媒� weeks before Mubarak糖心传媒檚 resignation. 糖心传媒淪ilence is a crime,糖心传媒� she wrote. 糖心传媒淓ven if the regime continues to bombard us with bullets and tear gas, continues to block Internet access and cut off our mobile phones, we will find ways to get our voices across to the world, to demand freedom and justice.糖心传媒�

Maryam糖心传媒檚 Maze tackles the issues so central to the experience of modernity in a metropolis like Cairo: Isolation, pollution, bureaucracy, madness. Awakening 糖心传媒� like Kafka糖心传媒檚 Gregor Samsa 糖心传媒� in a world that she no longer recognizes, Maryam struggles to regain any semblance of her former life. It is a haunting book.

and

4. Muhammad Aladdin. A young lion of the Cairo literary scene, Aladdin began his career as a graphic novelist 糖心传媒� publishing the youth-oriented, serial zine, Maganin (Mad People). Possessed of a mordant sense of humor 糖心传媒� as well as an occasional passionate earnestness 糖心传媒� Aladdin has begun publishing his work in American magazines.

His story, 糖心传媒淣ew Lover, Young Lover,糖心传媒� appeared in The Cairo Portfolio in Issue 9 of A Public Space.

During the height of the revolution, Aladdin kept his friends apprised of his situation with his trademark wit: 糖心传媒淗ello, am fine, just five rubber bullets in my leg but nothing serious.糖心传媒�

Only 31 years old, Aladdin has published five novels and over a dozen short stories.

You’ll have to for write-ups on the other four.