Author Raphael Cormack’s newest work Midnight in Cairo, is a vibrant portrait of the talented and entrepreneurial women who defined an era in one of the world’s most multicultural cities, twentieth-century Cairo. Buffeted by crosswinds of colonialism and nationalism, conservatism and liberalism, “religious” and “secular” values, patriarchy and feminism, this new generation of 'celebrities' offered a new vision for women in Egypt and throughout the Middle East, unveiling the rich histories of independent, enterprising women in a time marked by excess and unheard-of freedom of expression.

Raphael Cormack will be joined in conversation by award winning Egyptian choreographer and composer Adham Hafez for a live discussion and audience Q&A.

"An utterly unique book, teeming with vividly recounted stories, at times hilarious and at times tragic. These were true feminists avant la lettre who defied the societal norms and authorities of their time, both in Egypt and abroad. This inspiring gem of a book gripped me from beginning to end."― Hanan al-Shaykh, author of Women of Sand and Myrrh

Raphael Cormack has a PhD in Egyptian theatre from the University of Edinburgh and is currently a visiting researcher at Columbia University. He is an award-winning editor and translator and has written on Arabic culture for the London Review of Books and elsewhere.

Theorist, artist and curator, Adham Hafez writes on contemporary art history outside of western paradigms, on choreographic systems, climate change, and postcolonial legacies. Adham Hafez founded Egypt’s first performance studies and choreography research platform, named HaRaKa (movement, in Arabic). He publishes in Arabic, English and French. Currently he is writing on apocalyptic representations, pathogens, and nonhuman agents in Middle East politics and arts.

Midnight in Cairo by Raphael Cormack: Live Reading & Conversation