With her first novel, In the Eye of the Sun, Ahdaf Soueif garnered comparisons to Tolstoy, Flaubert, and George Eliot. In her latest novel, which was shortlisted for Britain's prestigious Booker Prize, she combines the romantic skill of a nineteenth-century novelist with a very modern sense of culture and politics — both sexual and international.<P>In 1901, Anna Winterbourne, recently widowed, leaves England for Egypt, an outpost of the Empire roiling with nationalist sentiment. Far from the comfort of the British colony, she finds herself enraptured by the real Egypt and in love with Sharif Pasha al-Baroudi. Nearly a hundred years later, Isabel Parkman, a divorced American journalist and descendant of Anna and Sharif, has fallen in love with Omar al-Ghamrawi, a gifted and difficult Egyptian-American conductor with his own passionate politics. In an attempt to understand her conflicting emotions and to discover the truth behind her heritage, Isabel, too, travels to Egypt, where she gradually unravels the story of Anna and Sharif's love.<P>Joining the romance and intricate storytelling of A. S. Byatt's Possession with the lyrical sensuality of Michael Ondaatje's The English Patient, Ahdaf Soueif has once again created a mesmerizing tale.

"Vivid, passionate and shedding, as true love does, a brilliant, revealing light on the world beyond itself."-The Sunday Telegraph (London)

"Epic--. Soueif is at her most eloquent on the subject of her homeland, her prose rich with historical detail and debate. Ultimately, Egypt emerges as the true heroine of this novel."-The Independent (London)

"Ahdaf Soueif has a talent for blending the personal and political and getting under the skin of each one of her characters."-Independent on Sunday (London)

"A magnificent work, reminiscent of Marquez and Allende in its breadth and confidence."-The Guardian

"A bold and vibrant novel--. This is political fiction that is also unashamedly romantic--. A triumphant achievement."-Penelope Lively, Literary Review

At either end of the 20th century, two women fall in love with men outside their familiar worlds. In 1901, Anna Winterbourne finds herself enraptured with Egypt and with Sharif Pasha al-Baroudi. Nearly 100 years later, Isabel Parkman, Anna and Sharif's descendent, is in love with a gifted and difficult Egyptian-American conductor with his own passionate politics.

Ahdaf Soueif was born in Cairo and educated in Egypt and England. She lives in London.