Lead Review (Diary of a Country Prosecutor)

• Book: Diary of a Country Prosecutor
• Location: Egypt
• Author: Abba Eban (Translator), Tawfik Al-Hakim

Review Author: tripfiction

This short novel is set in 1920s rural Egypt, over a matter of a few days in the month of October. It is the story of a country prosecutor, who works amongst the Egyptian peasants. He despairs of the injustices he witnesses and is frustrated by the cogs of justice that run at a snail’s pace, aimed, it seems, to confuse and obfuscate.

There is a sense of the heat and terrain as he goes about his daily business of trying to solve crime, faced with absurd and challenging situations and encounters.

This is a charmingly told tale, with black humour and satire at its heart, and I am sure it will delight modern readers, transporting them back in time. There is very much a sense of the footsteps past. It was first published in 1937 and still has relevance for today’s audience.

The book feels well translated, with just a nod to a period of more formal manners, mores and diction. There is a foreword by PH Newby and a new introduction ton by Richard Littler.

Back to book