Traveler's Diary

In this book, the English writer Desmond Stewart, one of the most prominent English figures in Egypt, recounts modern Egyptian history from the arrival of the French campaign, through the reign of Muhammad Ali and his family, to the July 1952 revolution and subsequent events. Most notably, he includes his interview with Gamal Abdel Nasser, which serves as a historical testimony and documentation of the author's perspective on numerous issues and events that have shaped Egypt. This book is a concise history of modern Egypt, from the time of Napoleon's campaign until the 1952 revolution. It focuses, of course, on the reign of the Muhammad Ali dynasty, expressing admiration for only the dynasty's founder, who, in his later years, suffered from madness. The book recounts the reactionary tendencies of Abbas I, the naivete and submissiveness of Muhammad Said Pasha, the extravagance of Ismail, and the treachery of Tawfiq, which brought about the 72-year British occupation, spearheaded by Cromer. It then describes the recklessness of Farouk, followed by the 1952 revolution. The author expresses great admiration for his friend Gamal Abdel Nasser, including an interview that reveals the high hopes this young, enthusiastic president placed on the country's future. The book concludes with the union between Egypt and Syria in 1958 and the establishment of the new republic, the United Arab Republic. The author does not address the consequences of this union, which quickly dissolved, nor the 1967 defeat and the subsequent tragedies from which Egypt still suffers today.