Three Alaa Al Aswany titles to Canongate

Canongate has bought three books by the Egyptian writer Alaa Al Aswany, including one on the recent revolution in Egypt.

Publishing director Anya Serota bought UK & Commonwealth rights (excluding Canada, ANZ and India) to a novel and memoir through Sarah Chalfant of The Wylie Agency, as well as the same rights to a collection of essays on modern Egypt from the American University in Cairo Press through Jessica Papin at the Jessica Papin Literary Agency.

Canongate will publish the essay collection, On the State of Egypt, as an e-book next Thursday (17th March), with a paperback to follow in May. It is compiled from Al Aswany's weekly newspaper columns, which criticised the Mubarak regime which eventually fell last month amid widespread public protest.

The publisher said: "As well as a brilliant and devastating critique of Mubarak’s rule, it is an inspiring portrait of a people’s determination to rise up and make their voices heard."

Al Aswany's next novel, The Automobile Club of Egypt, will be published in 2013. It is about the first car in Egypt and the rise of the elite Automobile Club, which was peopled by Europeans but excluded Egyptians. The second book is entitled Alexandrian Pages and is a memoir of his childhood summers in Alexandria. Publication date is to be confirmed.

Canongate m.d. Jamie Byng said: "Alaa Al Aswany is not only a great novelist but also an important political commentator who is uniquely placed to explain the recent events in Egypt. We are delighted to welcome him to the Canongate list and to bring his timely and timeless books to a wider audience in the English language."