From Publishers Weekly
This spare, swift and ultimately chilling fantasy of interrogation and persecution in contemporary Egypt suggests that all of us are controlled by forces we often have no inkling of. The novel begins with a frustrating and unexplained interview conducted by a group known simply as the Committee. A young man is forced to belly dance, drop his pants and underwear (and worse), then to name the 20th century's most important achievement. He is also asked to write "a study on the greatest contemporary Arab luminary." The young intellectual struggles to find a subject for his project, but he soon settles on a doctor with a reputation for international philanthropy. After a year has passed, the Committee appears at his apartment to inspect his progress. Just as abruptly, they depart, leaving one of their members behind to monitor the narrator's every move, until finally he is driven to murder his observer. For this crime, the Committee sentences him to a bizarre punishment worthy of Dante. In keeping with Ibrahim's reputation as the "Egyptian Kafka," the Committee is anonymous, oppressive and symbolic of familiar social forces though recent world events will prompt readers to associate it with more specific clandestine organizations. Ibrahim (The Smell of It) creates a highly claustrophobic mood with elegant descriptions and the smooth incorporation of historical detail, bringing global depth to this work. As the dark narrative proceeds, its critique of broader social madness masquerading as civilization becomes clearer and clearer, making this a provocative addition to Ibrahim's respected oeuvre. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
An unnamed narrator is brought before a shadowy committee and asked, "By which momentous event among the wars, revolutions, or inventions will our century be remembered in the future?" After only a moment of consideration, he relates the history of Coca-Cola and its effect on the world in some detail. He is then asked to talk about the Great Pyramids. Finally, he is asked to provide "a study on the greatest contemporary Arab luminary." Plunging into deep research on a man known as "The Doctor," our narrator is visited at his home by the committee, who want him to change the subject of his research. When he hedges, one of the committee members stays with him to make sure he picks a new topic. Eventually, our narrator is driven to murder, and the committee condemns him to a bizarre sentence. This powerful, thought-provoking novel offers a fascinating glimpse of the mechanics of repression worldwide. Egyptian novelist Ibrahim, a major figure in the Arab literary world, has published many novels, short stories, and other works. Recommended to all readers who place Kafka's Trial on their list of favorites. Lisa Rohrbaugh, East Palestine Memorial P.L., OH Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
This is the first English translation of an Egyptian novel first published in 1981. With a plot and theme harking back to the works of Kafka and Camus, the novel tells the story, in first-person narration, of a man who is called before an ominous committee to defend himself against unnamed charges. The author deliberately keeps vague all the elements of his tale, including the setting (though it is assumed to be Cairo), which adds to the reader's feeling of complete strangeness and even sense of vertigo. As part of his defense before the committee, the narrator gives an interesting discourse on the history of Coca-Cola and its place in modern world culture, but when he presents facts about a mysterious figure known as "the Doctor," the committee attempts to silence him. The results are far from the usual thing--especially when the narrator murders the most antagonistic of the committee members and accepts a punishment that borders on the fantastic. This is a wonderful existential novel. Frank Caso
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"Sun'allah Ibrahim has been called the Egyptian Kafka. And no wonder, this wry take on Kafka's The Trial revolves around its narrator's attempts to petition successfully the elusive ruling body of his country, known simply as "the Committee." Consequences for his actions range from the absurd to the hideous." "In Kafkaesque fashion - an intriguingly symbolic and minimalist style - Ibrahim offers an unbroken first-person narrative rendered in brief, crisp prose framed by a conspicuous absence of vivid imagery. Furthermore, the petitioner is a man without identity. The ideal antihero, he remains, as does his country, unnamed throughout the intricate plot with a locale suggestive of 1970s Cairo." The Committee sardonically pierces the inflammatory terrain between ordinary men, unbridled displays of power, and other broader concerns of the author's native Egypt. The novel's corrosive, shocking conclusion catapults satiric surrealism into a new realm.

FROM THE CRITICS

This spare, swift and ultimately chilling fantasy of interrogation and persecution in contemporary Egypt suggests that all of us are controlled by forces we often have no inkling of. The novel begins with a frustrating and unexplained interview conducted by a group known simply as the Committee. A young man is forced to belly dance, drop his pants and underwear (and worse), then to name the 20th century's most important achievement. He is also asked to write 'a study on the greatest contemporary Arab luminary.' The young intellectual struggles to find a subject for his project, but he soon settles on a doctor with a reputation for international philanthropy. After a year has passed, the Committee appears at his apartment to inspect his progress. Just as abruptly, they depart, leaving one of their members behind to monitor the narrator's every move, until finally he is driven to murder his observer. For this crime, the Committee sentences him to a bizarre punishment worthy of Dante. In keeping with Ibrahim's reputation as the 'Egyptian Kafka,' the Committee is anonymous, oppressive and symbolic of familiar social forces—though recent world events will prompt readers to associate it with more specific clandestine organizations. Ibrahim (The Smell of it) creates a highly claustrophobic mood with elegant descriptions and the smooth incorporation of historical detail, bringing global depth to this work. As the dark narrative proceeds, its critique of broader social madness masquerading as civilization becomes clearer and clearer, making this a provocative addition to Ibrahim's respected oeuvre.

Publishers Weekly

This spare, swift and ultimately chilling fantasy of interrogation and persecution in contemporary Egypt suggests that all of us are controlled by forces we often have no inkling of. The novel begins with a frustrating and unexplained interview conducted by a group known simply as the Committee. A young man is forced to belly dance, drop his pants and underwear (and worse), then to name the 20th century's most important achievement. He is also asked to write "a study on the greatest contemporary Arab luminary." The young intellectual struggles to find a subject for his project, but he soon settles on a doctor with a reputation for international philanthropy. After a year has passed, the Committee appears at his apartment to inspect his progress. Just as abruptly, they depart, leaving one of their members behind to monitor the narrator's every move, until finally he is driven to murder his observer. For this crime, the Committee sentences him to a bizarre punishment worthy of Dante. In keeping with Ibrahim's reputation as the "Egyptian Kafka," the Committee is anonymous, oppressive and symbolic of familiar social forces though recent world events will prompt readers to associate it with more specific clandestine organizations. Ibrahim (The Smell of It) creates a highly claustrophobic mood with elegant descriptions and the smooth incorporation of historical detail, bringing global depth to this work. As the dark narrative proceeds, its critique of broader social madness masquerading as civilization becomes clearer and clearer, making this a provocative addition to Ibrahim's respected oeuvre. (Dec.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

An unnamed narrator is brought before a shadowy committee and asked, "By which momentous event among the wars, revolutions, or inventions will our century be remembered in the future?" After only a moment of consideration, he relates the history of Coca-Cola and its effect on the world in some detail. He is then asked to talk about the Great Pyramids. Finally, he is asked to provide "a study on the greatest contemporary Arab luminary." Plunging into deep research on a man known as "The Doctor," our narrator is visited at his home by the committee, who want him to change the subject of his research. When he hedges, one of the committee members stays with him to make sure he picks a new topic. Eventually, our narrator is driven to murder, and the committee condemns him to a bizarre sentence. This powerful, thought-provoking novel offers a fascinating glimpse of the mechanics of repression worldwide. Egyptian novelist Ibrahim, a major figure in the Arab literary world, has published many novels, short stories, and other works. Recommended to all readers who place Kafka's Trial on their list of favorites. Lisa Rohrbaugh, East Palestine Memorial P.L., OH Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews