THE TELEVANGELIST BY. Ibrahim Essa TRANS. Jonathan Wright

Meet Egypt’s top TV preacher Hatem el-Shenawi: a national celebrity revered by housewives and politicians alike for delivering Islam to the masses. Charismatic and quick-witted, he has friends in high places.
But when he is entrusted with a secret that threatens to wreak havoc across the country, he is drawn into a web of political intrigue at the very heart of government.
Can Hatem’s fame and fortune save him from this unspeakable scandal?

REVIEWS

"a master of the Arabic language... [Eissa] delivers a double dose of wit, humor and political satire, combined with painstaking knowledge of religion and the media world... Fascinating"—Egypt Independent

"We're in the presence of masterful storytelling... [Essa] tells the story of Egypt, its society and state, culture and superstition, virtues and sins, love and intolerance. . . with skillful plotting and surgical social and psychological analysis."—Saad Eddin Ibrahim, El Watan

"the novel of the season. . . a compelling testimony about this era"—The Egyptian Daily

"Compelling."—Marcia Lynx Qualey, The National

"Fast-paced and brilliantly observed."—BookShy Blog

"[Essa] combines psychology, sociology, cultural critique, and politics to create a fascinating plot and a number of complex characters, as well as shedding light on Muslim–Coptic relations, the persecution of Sufis and the disastrous consequences of manipulating religion for political purposes. He also drops more than a few hints as to why the democratic gains of the 2010–11 popular uprising in Egypt could be so soon reversed. All in all, the novel is a brave exposure of terrorism, whether promoted by state power or extremist groups.”—Sally Bland, Jordan Times

"Thought-provoking."—Banipal