Τα Δέντρα Περπατούν Στην Αλεξάνδρεια |Αλάα αλ Ασουάνι

Egypt, 1960s. Nasser has been in power since 1954, and the changes brought about by his regime are beginning to become apparent.
A group of Egyptian citizens of European origin who were born in Alexandria or who chose it as their place of residence gather every night at the restaurant of Greek-born George Artinos and chat, drinking until late at night at the bar. What unites them is their love for this uniquely beautiful city, where they have lived their lives freely until now, but also their friendship for each other, even though their attitude towards power and their views on political and social developments do not always coincide, and their differences sometimes create tension. A series of events directly linked to the political life of the country will influence the course of their lives, which, for some of them, will change radically.
Aswani, at the height of his narrative art, composes a human mural full of cosmopolitan and lively characters in whom the tragic and the comic coexist, the search for justice, love, beauty and art, and who are swept away in a whirlwind that exceeds their strength: the one that marks the end of an entire era.

“Aswani skillfully composes a polyphonic text in which he recreates the atmosphere of Alexandria at a critical juncture in its history.” Libération

“It is the 1984 of Arabic literature, without being science fiction.” Le Nouvel Obs

“Aswany denounces a system whose unbearable price he and his compatriots continue to pay, with the liveliness of the narrative acting as a counterbalance to the political gloom, winning over even the most difficult reader.” Le Monde des Livres

“You will find it impossible to put it down, to separate yourself from the protagonists of the novel as well as from his beloved Alexandria itself. A literary achievement of rare skill, through which Aswany recounts how Nasser’s regime destroyed the cosmopolitan city of his youth, where ethnicities and religions coexisted harmoniously, with the freedom and mutual respect that the mythical city itself inspired.” Le Point

"Aswani denounces the hypocrisy of Nasserism and the regime's false promises of democracy. Without forgetting that, in the realm of literature, the past is always read as a metaphor for the present." Read