The life of book lovers in Egypt: Egypt has produced its fair share of great literature, whether it’s the product of literary giants writing in Arabic, such as Naguib Mahfouz or Taha Hussein, or the more recent, deeply evocative novels of Lucette Lagnado and Ahdaf Soueif, written in English. But who and what else is out there? Wander off the beaten track (of Egyptian writing available in English) and there’s a treasure trove of writers for a larger audience to discover, including the unbelievably prolific Khairy Shalabi, former graphic novelist Muhammad Aladdin, and Bahaa Taher, whose voice has been described by the Times Literary Supplement as “sombre, wise and lyrical.” We recommend complementing this with a physical exploration of Cairo’s literary heritage, going on some of the walking tours that take place Downtown or hunting for some of these little-known bookshops that are bound to stock a more eclectic selection of books than you’ll find in Diwan.