Tales of Yusuf Tadrus

A Novel

Adel Esmat
Translated by Mandy McClure

Born into a working-class Coptic family in the provincial town of Tanta, in Egypt’s lush Nile Delta, Yusuf Tadrus is fascinated from a young age by

English edition
14 April 2018
216 pp.
13.5X20cm
ISBN 9789774168604
For sale worldwide

9.99

Born into a working-class Coptic family in the provincial town of Tanta, in Egypt’s lush Nile Delta, Yusuf Tadrus is fascinated from a young age by light and shadow, spending his time drawing, making toys out of discarded objects he finds in the alley, and dreaming of becoming an artist and stepping into a broader world.
As he grows into adulthood, he hones his talent, but his ambitions are checked: by the responsibilities of family, marriage, and work; by his own lack of self-confidence, his ambivalence, and at times his recklessness; and by society’s expectations and prejudices.
Adel Esmat provides an intimate glimpse into Egyptian Christian life and, with sensitivity and honesty, tells of the struggles faced by an artist who seeks to remain true to his calling.

Mandy McClure

Mandy  McClure is the translator of Arab Women Writers: A Critical Reference Guide (AUC Press, 2008) and Tales of Yusuf Tadrus by Adel Esmat (Hoopoe, 2018), and co-translator of The Traditional Crafts of Egypt (AUC Press, 2016). She lives in Cairo.
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