Return of the spirit

Both revolution and romance are at the heart of Return of the Spirit, first published in Arabic in 1933. The story of a patriotic young Egyptian and his extended family, ending with events surrounding the 1919 revolution -- for al-Hakim, a literal awakening of the Egyptian spirit -- the strong expression of nationalist solidarity in Return of the Spirit has particular resonance now. Admiration for the novel by the military entrepreneurs who replaced Egypt's monarchy in 1952 temporarily dampened enthusiasm for it; but the Tahrir revolution has made it seem once again as fresh as today's news.