چيمنازيوم

Author's name: Mi Khaleddar Publisher: Al-Arabi for Publishing and Distribution Year of publication: 2017 Literary classification: Novel Brief about the book: "The novel revolves around an author who wins a trip to Switzerland to stay in the house of writers there, and she tries to write a new novel. During her stay there, she begins to recall her memories and tells us about the reasons that led her to win this trip. The novel is a collection of characters, each of whom narrates life in their own way and from their perspective. It does not stop at a specific social class but addresses different social backgrounds. The heroine of the novel; the author who won the trip, and the main character of the novel, begins writing about her life and about the most influential person in her life who brought her to where she is today, the writer 'Bidaya Al-Alfi,' who used the heroine in her works as a secondary character. Therefore, when the heroine reaches Switzerland, she also uses 'Bidaya Al-Alfi' in her novel. Interestingly, the heroine has the same name, which is 'Bidaya.' 'Bidaya Mehran' begins writing about two groups of women in the 'Gymnasium.' The first group consists of elegant ladies who go to the gym to spend time, and the second group is the working women there. Each woman has a chapter that tells her story, and at certain times, we find that the lives of two or more characters are interconnected. The pace of the novel is smooth, and its chapters are divided between one set in Egypt and another in Switzerland. The reader will notice how some details in the characters' lives resemble details from 'Bidaya Mehran's' life. What also makes this novel impressive, in addition to its feminine nature, is the author's use of intertextuality, as she quotes poetic verses from Mahmoud Darwish, Salah Jahiin, and others."