Group+5+Waguih+Ghali,+Beer+in+the+Snooker+Club

=Waguih Ghali = == = =

=Author Biography =

=== Not much is known about Waguih Ghali. Ghali was born and raised in Cairo. His exact birth date is not known, but it is guessed he was born in the 1930’s to a upper class Coptic family in Egypt. Ghali’s family spoke English and French more than Arabic something he mirrors in his character Ram. When he was young, Ghali’s father passed away leaving Waguih behind as the poor relation to his mother’s rich family. Once he grew up he funneled his outrage at the poverty in Egypt towards the Communist party. As an adult Ghali left Egypt to study and work in Britain, France, Sweden and Germany. === === “Beer in the Snooker Club” was his only novel which now appears to be an exaggerated dictation of his life. Waguih Ghali committed suicide in 1969. Much of his life in London and up until his death is described in "After a Funeral" by Diana Athill. ===

=== In "After a Funeral" Dianna Athill describes how she meet Waguih Ghali, whose alias in the novel is "Didi". According to Diana Athill, Waguih Ghali was a sweet and intelligent man. He was an Egyptian exile though and through that information she discovered a darker side to the talented writer. Ghali was an intense gambler, drinker, and womaniser. He committed suicide in the flat they shared in London. When he died he left behind a set of notebooks. In these notebooks Waguih Ghali wrote that his death was the "one authentic act of my life." ===

=Book Synopsis=

=== “Beer in the Snooker Club” is the only work ever published by Waguih Ghali. The life of the main character, Ram, seems to resemble Ghali’s life in terms of class position, location shifts and political ideas. Ram is the poor relation of a wealthy family in Cairo’s upper class. His life has been such that he does not trust the government that allows the poor to continually suffer. Therefore, Ram acquaints himself with the communist party, a group that was illegal under Nasser’s government. While following Ram’s life the reader is introduced to several of his friends, Egyptian and English. Most of these friends belong to the international left wing of the time. === === Often referred to as a satire, “Beer in the Snooker Club” utilizes Ram’s unselfrighteous vision to be self-critical as it is critical of others. “The whole text is permeated with a wonderfully wry humour, although unsparing in its condemnation of cruelty, greed, shallowness and pretence (Gagiano)”. === === Taking place in the early fifties, Ram’s life seems to revolve around the political turmoil in Egypt. The old monarch, Farouk, was a puppet of the English. He is overthrown by the Egyptian military who is now fighting with the British and the French for control of the Suez canal. What Ram observes is that despite the change of power the lower classes, and fellaheens (peasants) are still being ignored. It is this uneven distribution of the wealth and power that causes Ram to begin to utilize all the knowledge has acquired over the years to wage a small battle. ===

Waguih Ghali offers interesting insight into a tumultuous period of Egyptian history with his novel.
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= = =Themes and Symbols Present in the Novel=

Identity
In terms of the theme of identity at work in the novel, race & class are the central focus.Ram struggles with his sense of identity throughout the novel. Ram is from a wealthy Egyptian family belonging to Cairo's upper class. Despite being a member of the upper class, Ram has an enormous amount empathy toward people from Cairo's lower class. This is what causes him to question the roll of social classes throughout the novel. As he witnesses the unfair treatment and policy toward the Fellaheens he finds himself identifying with the communist party which he believes can affect some much needed change.The issue of race is also an important aspect of the identity theme at work in the novel. Ram's upper class status causes him to become attracted to the culture and customs of London. He feels loyalty to both England and Egypt. He enjoys the English culture, but questions the regime installed, and he feels the Egyptian revolution has some merit, however he isn't in support of the oppressive policies placed by the revolution.

Impossible Romance
Ram's romantic relationship with Edna is also a noteworthy theme in the novel. Edna, much like Ram, comes from a wealthy upper class family. Their relationship is doomed for the beginning however because Ram is Egyptian and Edna is Jewish. An insurmountable pitfall consider the political climate surrounding the novel. Edna is integral to the story of Ram because it she who inspires Ram's eventual idealism. Edna may come from a wealthy family but she detests their values. She identifies with the communist party and encourages Ram to as well.

=A Brief History in Relation to the Novel=

The Suez Canal
The underlying cause of the conflict in the novel is the Suez Canal. The Suez Canal was opened in November 1869 for the purpose of allowing trade ships to travel between Europe and Asia with much more ease by using the canal to connect the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea, therefore avoiding having to go around Africa. The construction of the canal took ten years and was jointly financed by Egypt and France.

The Suez Crisis of 1956
This is a brief summary of the Suez Crisis of 1956: Since the canal opened in 1869 it had always been free for anyone to use. However Britain and France decided that they wanted control over the canal so they could dictate who was allowed to use it. This was for commercial and colonial interests. Gamal Abdel Nasser had recently taken control of the Egyptian government and he believed the canal should be under the control of the Egyptians. Prior to Nasser taking control of Egypt the United States and Britain had promised Egypt funding for the construction of the Aswan Dam in the Nile. Once Nasser claimed the Suez Canal for Egypt, the United States and Britain denied funding for the dam. After this happened, Nasser nationalized the canal. Needless to say this made Britain and France very angry. They joined forces with Egypt's long time enemy Israel and planned an attack against Nasser. The combined forces of Britain, France, and Israel advanced on the Suez Canal on October 29, 1956. They were victorious against the Egyptian army. Within about a week, Britain, France, and Israel had complete occupation of the Suez region. Nasser retaliated by sinking approximately 40 ships in the Suez Canal, which shut down passage. The United Nations wanted to end the conflict before any more blood was shed so they attempted a resolution entailing Britain and France stepping down. Global opinion at the time favored Egypt throughout the conflict, so France and Britain withdrew from the region. As a clause of the compromise, Egypt was to allow free passage through to canal to any ship.

Post Suez Crisis Egypt
Britain and France were devastated at their defeat in the Suez region. They eventually completely gave up their African colonies. Although the period of colonization for Egypt had come to an end, the conflict between Egypt and Israel was growing stronger. Some violence insued but they eventually came to a UN peace treaty in 1979.

**More on Nasser**
===  As seen in the novel through Ram's English education (displayed through his knowledge of authors and literature) as well as his broad sense of typical English behaviors, Egypt was under British colonial rule from the 1880's-1962. Gamal Abdel Nasser, viewed as a Free Officer leader and hero of Egypt, was known as the leader who pushed Britain out of Egypt. Nasser's Regime was from 1952 until 1970. This dealt with Arab nationalism and socialism. As stated above, the Suez Crisis of 1956, in which Egypt nationalized the Suez Canal, helped to make Egypt more independent and solidify the view of Nasser as a hero. Nasser's heroic identity was diminished as he imposed the police state but did not do anything to improve the conditions of Egypt. he used repression in order to dart criticism. Many Egyptians were unhappy with this behavior. This is seen through Ram in the novel. On page 202 he states "'It's stupid living under a police state without the benefits of the control'" and continues in his speech to Didi stating: "'We have the worst of both systems. Both the dictatorship and the starving without any future to look forward to"'(203) ===

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Map of Egypt in 1967(Above) Current Map of Egypt (Right)

=What is Snooker?= Snooker is a form of a billiards game. The game is played on a billiards table, with the objective of beating an opponent by scoring more points via potting balls in pockets. It appears in the novel as a past time that Ram enjoys and associates with his personality of enjoying friends, beer, and being in billiard and snooker clubs (as opposed to his other role of dealing with political issues, discussed in class). Ram commonly goes from club to club in order to find friends and have a good time: "I went from Groppi's to the snooker club... Jameel's father having accepted defeat in educating his son, gave way to the boy's passion for snooker and built this place for him" (16-17). Despite the strong political context that appears throughout the novel, Ram ultimately chooses the lavish lifestyle, as seen in the end of the novel. He even goes so far as to use the "political organization" as an excuse to enjoy his decision by telling Didi "'I have to go and tell this political organization I don't belong to it anymore'... I walked to the Mirandi bar once more and went into the telephone booth... and I went to Groppi's" (220). The history behind the game of snooker also forms a direct link to the novel. According to the United States Snooker Association of California: "In the early days of snooker, it was generally accepted that the game of snooker originated in the British Army garrisons of India as a combination of the various billiard games, particularly English billiards, which where then commonly played. Beyond this nobody laid claim to its specific origins until a debate began in the late 1930s." Though the linkage of a game originating from the British Army may seem strange being such a strong focus to the Egyptian protagonist, one must recall Ram's educational upbringing as well as his Coptic status. The British were seen to favor Coptics as the elites of Egypt, being the most wealthy and high class. Though Ram identifies himself as Coptic, he speaks Arabic, English, and French at home due to his English education. Ironically, snooker serves as an aid to keeping Font off the streets from a lack of wealth as Ram reveals: "It was I who made Font work in the snooker club. Jameel thought I was joking when I told him it was the only thing that would keep Font off the streets" (15). media type="youtube" key="Q5AFwbmUq7g" height="307" width="384" align="right"

[|http://www.jstor.org.proxy2.cl.msu.edu/stable/3050499&Search=yes&term=snooker&list=hide&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dsnooker%26wc%3Don&item=5&ttl=365&returnArticleService=showArticle] []
 * The following scholarly articles examine the game of snooker in greater depth:**

=The "Beer" in Beer in the Snooker Club//=

**Themes and Symbols Present in the Novel:** Beer is an important symbol in the novel. For Ram it epitomizes the difference in culture between England and Egypt. It reminds him of all the great times he had while he was in London with his friends gambling and drinking the nights away. During his time back home in Cairo throughout the novel he often finds himself missing the English Bass Ale he used to enjoy so much. The relationship Ram shares with the beer symbolizes his internal struggle between feeling of loyalty to the British empire.

Diana Athill examines the relevance of the ale that constantly appears throughout the novel: "Behind the bar at Jameel's in Cairo hang two mugs engraved with the names of Ram and Font. During their years together in London, they drank many a pint of Bass from these mugs. But there is no Bass in Nasser's Egypt – so Ram and Font have to make do with a heady mixture of beer, vodka and whisky. Yearning for Bass they long to be far from a revolution that neither serves the people nor allows their rich aunts to live the life of leisure they are accustomed to. Stranded between two cultures, Ram and Font must choose between dangerous political opposition and reluctant acquiescence. First published in 1964, Beer in the Snooker Club is a classic of the literature of emigration."

The relevance of the Bass in the novel applies to the fact that it is not allowed in Egypt. as a result, various substitutions and adaptations are made to fill the void: "'Draught Bass, Font?' 'Yes, all right.' I opened two bottles of Egyptian Stella beer and poured them into a large tumbler, then beat the liquid until all the gas had escaped. I then added a drop of vodka and some whisky. It was the nearest we could get to Draught Bass" (17). Professor Hassan noted that Bass beer was popular with the British New Left while Guinness beer was popular in Ireland. (The British New Left were critics of the Soviet Union and were critical of the US and British Empire).

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