In light of the recent bombing in Alexandria, Egyptian banker and writer, Tarek Osman, has been interviewed by the London Times and CNN for his take on the current political situation. Today we have published Egypt on the Brink: From Nasser to Mubarak, in which Osman describes the huge changes that have taken place in his home country since the 1950s. 

Writing for the Financial Times, Joyce Tyldesley opines that Osman‘s and two others, Egypt: A Short History (Princeton U Press) and The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt (Bloomsbury) together give a picture of Egypt’s history from ancient times to the present, brought into “sharp focus.”  For Osman‘s book in particular, addressing the last sixty years, she says: “Osman writes with a focused and uncluttered style, and there are enough political twists and high-action events – including a president assassinated live on television – to retain the interest of even the most general reader.”

To learn more about the political forces at play in Egypt (regime, political Islam, and the liberal movement, as defined by Osman), check out the interview with CNN.