Madbouli Bookshop / مكتبة مدبولي

Madbuli Bookstore,
 Talaat Harb Square, in 2014.
Image: MPM, CC-BY

In the age of online bookstores (and of various pirate distributors), it has become remarkably easy to gain access to books. So easy, in fact, that one forgets how difficult it was, in Cairo in the 1990's, to lay one's hands on a particular text.

English books were either unavailable or unaffordable, and Arabic works so scattered among myriad small booksellers that it took long (though enjoyable) tours through the bookshops to find what one was looking for. I often returned home with bags full of books -- except the one title that I had set out to buy, of course!

A common problem in bookstores then (and now) was the absence of organization on the shelves: books were grouped vaguely by subject (like 'adab'), or by publisher, but not arranged alphabetically by author. To search for a specific title was either a patient solitary effort--reading spines, and getting your hands dirty--or a social transaction with the bookstore staff: you might chat a little, talk about this and that, and finally inquire if a particular title was available. With a little luck (and if you were talking to the right member of the staff), the book would be brought to you, or at least you would receive a suggestion where it could be available. In the better bookstores, the junior staff in bookstores were blissfully oblivious of the titles which were in stock, while a senior staff member would act as living catalog, with the ability to memorize the availability, and approximate location on the shelves of any of a few thousand titles.

Among the bookstores in Cairo, one in particular was rightly famous for its good selection, and expert staff: Maktabat Madbūlī on Ṭalʿat Ḥarb Square.

The store still exists, and offers a decent selection of books, but it no longer plays the pivotal role in the cultural life of Egypt like it once did. In its heyday, one must remember, it was said that the bookstore's owner, al-Ḥājj Madbūlī, was 'the minister of culture of the Arab world'. This bon mot may be somewhat of a hyperbole, but it is true that the Hajj was on friendly terms with many major authors of his day, and that he himself published many of their works in his press. Moreover, his bookstore served as Cairo's window to the world, where one could find the latest publications from Lebanon, works translated from foreign languages, and even the occasional banned book.

al-Ḥājj Madbūlī.
from the biography cited above
-- shamelessly adopted under the
Fair Use doctrine.

The bookshop and publishing house owed their success to the leadership of their legendary owner: Muḥammad Madbūlī Muḥammad Ḥusayn, generally known as "al-Ḥājj Madbūlī". Although he was arguably one of the more influential characters in the history of Arabic culture, there are very few accounts of his life available, and almost none in English. In this post, I would like to fill that lacuna, and provide a short biography. My main source is a biographical work published posthumously by the Madbūlī press itself:

Saʿīd, Ashraf (ed.). al-Ḥājj Madbūlī: Kitāb wa-takrīm. al-Qāhirah: Maktabat Madbūlī, 2010.

The book is no longer available (even at the Madbūlī bookstore itself), but I was able to obtain a copy for AUC library. It is of course a eulogistic work, but the biographical details are clear enough:

Muḥammad Madbūlī was born in Cairo in 1938. His father was a newspaper salesman from Sohag, who specialized in selling foreign newspapers in downtown Cairo. From age seven, Muḥammad helped his father distribute his papers, and therefore never received a formal education. In later years, when al-Ḥājj had already become a celebrity, he was generally thought to be illiterate (a claim which is denied in the biography), but the apparent paradox of an illiterate man running a bookstore and publishing venture worked in his favour, making the man into a legendary character.

From very modest beginnings--selling papers on the pavement opposite Groppi's--Muḥammad and his brother Ahmad worked their way up to acquire a kiosk on Ṭalʿat Ḥarb Square (in 1951), and dealt mainly in foreign newspapers, and imported books. After 1956, the brothers turned to Arabic material, but continued to work exclusively as distributors. Their business flourished, and in 1970 Maktabat Madbūlī moved into a shop on the same square, where it remains today. Shortly after the move to a permanent location, the Madbūlī brothers also began to branch out into publishing.

Nawāl al-Saʿadāwī's works 

for sale in Madbūlī's bookstore.

Image: MPM 2014, CC-BY

One of Madbūlī's early publishing projects was the series al-Masraḥ al-ʿālamī, which made the work of Sartre, Camus, Beckett, and others available to and Arabic-speaking audience. At the same time, al-Ḥājj Madbūlī cultivated relationships with established writers and intellectuals, and with emerging new talents (among other things, he apparently extended very generous credit to his regular customers). The combination of a liberal publication policy, and what one might call direct marketing clearly paid off, because Madbūlī publishers soon counted among their authors many of Egypt's most well-known literary authors, like Aḥmad Fuʾad Najm, Jamāl al-Ghīṭānī, Khayrī Shalabī, or ʻAbd al-Raḥmān al- Abnūdī, as well as prolific social scientists like Nawāl al-Saʿadāwī and Jamāl Ḥamdān.

During the 1980s and 1990s, Maktabat Madbūlī is said to have published around sixty titles annually -- a significant number. Despite the flourishing business, only one of Muḥammad Madbūlī's seven children entered their father's line of work. However, his two nephews Muḥammad and Sayyid did go into publishing, and founded al-Madbūlī al-ṣaghīr in Giza in 1987.

Muḥammad Madbūlī continued to run the bookstore and publishing house until shortly before his death on December 5th, 2008. The bookstore and publishing house are now owned and run by Maḥmūd Madbūlī, who continues to manage the business very much along the same manner as before.

However, times have changed, even in Cairo. Madbūlī now faces stiff competition as a publisher from newer, trendier publishing companies, which attract a new generation of writers. As a bookstore, Madbūlī was never a particularly cosy place to be in, and therefore loses against the cafe-cum-bookshop type establishments that are popping up here and there. Although its warehouse is well-stocked, it does not have a computerized inventory like other bookstores, which is clearly a disadvantage when one is looking for a particular title.

All in all, it seems that Madbūlī's glory days are over. And yet, because of the sheer volume of their backlist, and by virtue of their contacts, they remain a force to be reckoned with.

Madbouli Bookstore, Ṭalʿat Ḥarb Square, Downtown Cairo. (official website)
phone: 02 25752854

L'Orientaliste, or, for the love of books

image: MPM. Distributed on a CC-BY license.

In my student days, a reproduction of R.B. Kitaj's painting "The Orientalist" accompanied me to my various lodgings. I admired the style of painting, which is somewhat reminiscent of Japanese woodblock prints, and thought of the subject matter as an ironic commentary on my own situation as an orientalist-in-training.

As a name for a profession, the term "Orientalist" now has a negative ring to it. And yet, in some contexts, it simply evokes a memory of comfortably old-fashioned ways.

In other words, it may have been the name that first attracted me to L'Orientaliste bookstore at 15, Rue Kasr El Nile, just across from Groppi. In the course of several visits, I became acquainted with the fabulous collection of books, postcards, prints, and maps which are on offer in the store.

Among other amazing things, there are seventeenth-century travelogues, modernist Egyptian novels in French, a copy of tractate Menahot printed in Vienna, beautiful lithographs, original photographs, etc... . The current owner acquires new material very selectively, so there really is no trash on the shelves. He also knows what his collection is worth, and charges prices like in London or Paris. No, this is not a place for bargain hunters.

So who is this bibliophile who keeps an antiquarian bookstore in Cairo? Well, his name is Hassan Kamy, and his his best known as a tenor for the Cairo Opera house. He is now retired, and likes to spend time in his store, where here is happy to entertain visitors like myself. This is a paraphrase of his story, and the story of l'Orientaliste:

image: MPM. Distributed on a CC-BY license

The bookstore was founded in 1953 by Swiss gentleman by the name of Feldmann, who assembled stock from European owners who were relocating from Egypt at the time. It was not long before Feldmann himself was to emigrate: Being of Jewish faith, he found himself compelled to leave Egypt in 1956. In a scenario that was repeated many times all over Egypt, he issued a power of attorney over his possessions to his Egyptian assistant, Monsieur Bahari, who continued to administer the bookshop.

At one point, M. Bahari felt that he had paid up --so M. Kamy puts it-- and took full ownership of the store. Not that he was eager to make huge profits: according to M. Kamy, the new owner was not keen to part with his stock, had exaggerated prices, and granted meagre discounts even for his most faithful customers, such as Hasan Kamy himself.

So it happened that much of the stock remained untouched for decades until the late eighties, when M. Bahari's health declined. He was reportedly offered a handsome sum for the shop alone. Faced with the prospect of seeing his collection of books scattered, M. Bahari turned to Hassan Kamy instead, offering him the purchase under favourable terms, but under the condition that the bookshop would continue to exist.

Now M. Kamy is not only a cultured man, but was also affluent enough to make the purchase. Since he was kept busy by his other ventures (among other things, a travel agency!), he instituted his wife, Mme Nagwa, as the manager of the bookstore. Despite her initial objections, the bookstore became the labour of her love: she reclassified, organized, inventoried and catalogued the entire stock, which is now searchable online. She was obviously quite gifted, because the bookstore owes its current organization to Mme Nagwa.

The story could end here, but it goes on, with a sad twist: Three or four years ago, Mme Nagwa fell ill, and passed away. Her portrait hangs above the chair where M. Kamy now sits, and tells her story, his story, and that of their bookstore. His voice trembles slightly as he evokes her. It is clear that this bookshop is not only a commercial enterprise, but  also a memorial.

I listen, and begin to imagine what will be next... .

Adam Bookshop / مكتبة آدم

I found the Adam Bookshop by chance, as I was shopping for shoes for my daughter. There is certainly very little to advertise its presence in Maadi Grand Mall (see Location map), and even a casual visitor to the mall may not notice the store on the LOWER LEVEL, next to the cafeteria.

Despite its relatively remote location, the store is appears to be well-known, and well-frequented -- particularly by families who send their children to one of the German schools here in Cairo ... because they carry a huge selection of German titles, including school textbooks in all subjects (incl. Maths -- the exercise books may be useful for speakers of other languages, too).

Indeed, I read on their website that the store is the official distributor for Langenscheidt and Duden Verlag titles (the familiar sight of their yellow spines brings back memories of school days -- where are the Reclamheftchen?). They also seem to organize regular book bazaars at the DEO, and regular community events for children.

So what do they stock? They have everything you will ever need to learn (or teach) German, in addition to a large selection of children's books in German and English, with some French. There is also a very decent choice of literature in German and English (and a few shelves of French -- you'd better go to Livres de France around the corner for those. More on LdF later.), including both bestsellers and literary classics. They stock a huge number of translations from Arabic into German, and into English. The German-language community magazine Papyrus is available here, as are Egyptian- and art-themed calendars, notebooks, postcards, maps, guidebooks, etc... . I do like their gift items, and this may be a good place to look for something to send back home.

In a nutshell, don't be fooled by the word "bookshop", and their website in English -- this is in fact a real, well-stocked Buchladen. The reason would be that the owner, Mr. Radwan, spent many years living in Germany, and founded the store upon his return to Egypt in 2003. As noted above, the store does seem to fill a gap by meeting the needs of German-speaking famillies in Cairo; I wish they could also keep a registry of certified German teachers in the Maadi area. I have been looking for one, but found that even the Goethe Institute can't help.

Final verdict: well worth a visit, even if you're not a Germanophile.

Al Kotob Khan Book Shop

Image by MPM (CC-BY)

Al Kotob Khan Book Shop
مكتبة الكتب خان

https://www.facebook.com/kotobkhan

Let's begin this tour of Cairo bookshops close to home -- just across the street from our place, in fact.

Al Kotob Khan Book Shop can be found at 13, Road 254 in Maadi (nearby landmarks are Cairo American College and the Shell supermarket). They have a well-designed website and (wonder of wonders) a searchable inventory online.

I suppose one could call this a concept-bookstore-cum cafeteria. Indeed, they offer a decent selection of (modern) Arabic literature, English books (literary classics, some bestsellers, Art books, translations), in addition to a little German (Reclamheftchen!) and French. They also have CDs, DVDs, handcrafted stationary, local handicraft (kites, book bags), and a very pretty children's section with books in Arabic, English, German and French.

In some ways, Al Kotob Khan is similar to al-Diwan. What distinguishes the two is that the latter has turned into franchise, whereas Al Kotob Khan retains the atmosphere of a family business. One certainly does get the impression that the owner, Mrs. Karam Youssef, and her staff are very engaged in running the store, and eager to make it inviting and special.

The store itself is certainly inviting. Though quite well-attended, Al Kotob Khan is never crowded, or noisy, but feels like a place where one likes to read before buying. The tables are small, but have a view of a calm side street and lush green gardens. As far as I know, there is no other place nearby where one can sit quite so pleasantly -- just what one needs after a hellish commute on the ring road.

Now what makes Al Kotob Khan special? First, the selection of books available: In addition to bestselling and classic titles in Arabic in Literature, they offer a good selection of translations into English. What is find far more interesting is that Al Kotob Khan staff make an effort to promote niche publications, such as graphic novels in Arabic, or CDs of experimental music released on the 100 Copies label.

The store hosts cultural events (poetry readings and the like) from time to time, and serves as a space for exhibits of original artwork. Particularly noteworthy: the book display / فرشة كتب, a regular event to share gently used and new books at reasonable prices.

Oh, and Al Kotob Khan is a publisher. Among other titles, they published: Muḥammad Rabiʿ. ʿĀm al-tinnin. Al-Qāhirah: al-Kutub Khan, 2012. The novel was chosen as winner of the Sawiris Foundation prize for young novelists in 2011. Just so you know.

There is something reassuring about having a bookshop in the neighbourhood, and I am particularly glad that my local bookshop is such an interesting one. I am confident that  Al Kotob Khan will continue to make its mark, despite the competition elsewhere in Maadi.