The Lamplighter

Set during the latter half of the 19th and early part of the 20th centuries, The Lamplighter explores the internal struggles of Egypt, from the English and Ottoman presence to the fragile political rule of the Khedive Ismail, the ‘Urabi Revolution and the impact of these events on political, social, cultural and economic life. The novel follows the fortunes of an Egyptian family of professional lamplighters: the grandfather Faidallah, his son Taqawi, and his granddaughter Munifa. Obaid, who later becomes engaged to Munifa, listens avidly to the stories told by Faidallah and his neighbour Maarouf about their lives. Their tales range from their military service during the time of the Khedive Ismail, the construction of the Suez Canal and battles in places like Alexandria and Tel El Kebir in resistance against English invaders, before the final English occupation of Cairo, followed by the rest of Egypt. As their memories unfold, the revolutionary leader Saad Zaghloul is exiled, and the 1919 revolution erupts.