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55.1%ANMag Issue 17 Entertainment
Amel Larrieux Sets Lovely Standards
By Wael Al Fatayri, Staff Writer
Beirut, Lebanon - She never fails to defy the commercial wave; breaking out of the trends and standards of the music industry to set her own; musical songbird Amel Larrieux once again releases a mind-blowing work of art, “Lovely Standards.”
Beauty, distinctiveness and melodious charisma are only a few words to describe the 34-year-old neo-soul prodigy. Born in New York, Larrieux started her musical journey by the age of 18. Her demo caught the ear of Bryce Wilson with whom she formed the duo “Groove Theory.” [More]
The Yacoubian Building
By Shrief Fadl, Contributing Writer
Beirut, Lebanon - Alaa Al Aswany’s “The Yacoubian building” is a book that every Egyptian has to read, and one that every Arab also should. Whether for its rich prose, its captivating and socially relevant story, its lively characters, this is an amazing read. Originally published in 2002, the story revolves around an old building in downtown Cairo, one where the five major characters reside. The book is essentially about how these characters interact and how their individual stories unfold − the fading aristocrat, the homosexual journalist, the religious-yet-naïve son of the building’s door keeper, the downtrodden ‘residents’ on the roof and the callous businessman. Each of these characters symbolizes a certain aspect of modern Egyptian society, and that is perhaps one of the book’s greatest strengths, its symbolism. [More]