Life Style: Review: ‘The Turban and the Hat’ tackles French invasion of Egypt

CHICAGO: Acclaimed Egyptian writer Sonallah Ibrahim’s 2008 historical novel “The Turban and the Hat,” about France’s invasion of Egypt, is remarkably relevant today for its exploration of themes of power, colonialism and conflict.

The experience of the occupation — led by Napoleon Bonaparte from 1798 to 1801 — is told through the eyes of a student, the novel’s unnamed narrator. He records in his diary observations and conversations with people who resisted change and those who welcomed it.