Suleiman's Ring

Sherif Meleka was born in 1958 into a Coptic Christian family in Alexandria, Egypt. A trained medical doctor, he emigrated to the United States in 1984. He is the author of numerous novels, poetry and short story collections in Arabic. Suleiman’s Ring is his English-language debut. He currently lives in Jacksonville, Florida, USA.Raymond Stock is senior instructor of Arabic at Louisiana State University with a PhD in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations from the University of Pennsylvania (2008). A former resident of Cairo (1990–2010), he has translated seven books and many short stories by Naguib Mahfouz (1911–2006), including Before the Throne, Khufu’s Wisdom, The Coffeehouse (all AUC Press).

"A quality novel, which put me in mind of aspects of Rohinton Mistry and Naguib Mahfouz in the way it gives us characters to care about, who are then swept away by the chaos of history. The writing is pacy, but it has depth and poetic power – a credit to Raymond Stock’s translation from Arabic. Sherif Meleka is a natural writer. This is a compellingly readable novel of substance."—The Irish Times“[A] dazzling epic novel. . . . poetic and beautiful. . . . deeply moving. . . . Suleiman’s Ring is a timely read, not just for its powerful depiction of Jews in modern Egypt, but for its exploration of themes of nationhood, societal divisions—both along political and identity lines—and the influence that individuals can have on an entire society.”—The Canadian Jewish News"Original, carefully crafted, memorable"—Midwest Book Review"A lovely evocation of the period."—Historical Novels Review"Reading Suleiman’s Ring gave me great pleasure. With its many layers of tone and style, it takes the reader on a journey through modern-day Alexandria, recalling the loss of its essentially tolerant outlook, a tolerance that had lain at the heart of this great city’s renaissance."—Ibrahim Abdel Meguid, author of Clouds over Alexandria"A powerful narration of extremism culminating in the tragic expulsion of the Egyptian Jews from modern Egypt."—Hamdi Abu Golayyel, author of The Men Who Swallowed the Sun"Three generations of Egyptians are depicted elegantly, in the manner of an epic, and with deep historical insight."—al-Qahira "Meleka masterfully blends the story of Suleiman [Solomon] and Dawud [David] with contemporary life, covering an important period in Egyptian history spanning more than thirty years, from the secret preparations of the Free Officers Movement in 1952 to the assassination of Anwar Sadat in 1981."—al-Ahali