Dr Raafat Khalaf
Romance in the middle of Napoleonic wars and conflicts in the Middle East. The title of this novel is taken from the book 'The Wonders of Antiquities in Biographies and News' by the great 18th-century historian al-Jabarti. Al-Jabarti wrote that during the Cairenes’ revolt against the French army, they shouted, 'Ya Salaam of these alaam', meaning 'Ooh, what are all these pains' when Napoleon Bonaparte’s bombs fell on them and they had never seen bombs before! The world does not need a new book on the French campaign against Egypt and the Levant at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Much has been written about it in French, English, and Arabic. More books have been written about Napoleon Bonaparte than any other leader in world history. But writing about human motives and feelings does not end. This novel is historical fiction and a summary historical account of the events of the first year of the campaign. It portrays the daily lives of those who lived through these momentous events - Egyptians, French, and English, as well as an unlikely love story at the time when Egypt was badly entangled in the power struggle between the world’s 18th-century superpowers, England and France.There are always two sides to history. The first is composed of the events and leaders who shaped them, and the second relates the impact of these events on ordinary people who are not usually mentioned in history. In this novel, I used the actual events and names of the leaders as they appeared in the original historical sources, but concerning what happened to ordinary people, I have created imaginary events and characters.These events, resulting from the diversity of human beings, the difference in cultures, and the ensuing hate creation, conflicts, suffering and pains, are the same story that repeats through the ages.
