Detox | Summer absurdities

WHAT’S UP?

Well, this is a sorry excuse for a summer. The heat and the ongoing corona anxiety are in equal parts boring and infuriating, and our cities have become pretty much unbearable. Heading to the coast could be nice, but make no mistake: a battle is raging over there too, namely over what women should or should not wear on the beach. It’s ridiculous. 

Summer is a tough season, at least here. The heat makes us irritable, angry. We explode for the silliest of reasons. Our blood pressure rises and we can’t seem to cope. We’re told that fans can make us sick and turning on the AC becomes a question of cost. Don’t even get us started on humidity, which if and when it kicks in leaves you feeling not just sticky but totally devoid of energy.

To get some of this energy back we need to relax. We need to shield ourselves from the scorching sun and rediscover the pleasures of afternoon naps in a comfy bed with cold, crisp sheets. The nights are a bit more merciful, so try to sleep in this weekend and stay up late to enjoy the evening summer breeze. And maybe listen to this while you’re at it.

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READ

We know it might be difficult to keep one’s focus long enough to finish a book these days, but in case you’re able to conquer the heat and the restlessness, here are two recommendations guaranteed to make your summer a little more entertaining: 

—The Brooklyn Follies by Paul Auster, of which Fathy El Sheikh writes:

This is the third novel that I’ve read by Paul Auster, and it proved to be a rather different experience. Here he charges head-on into uncharted territory, turning the stories of ordinary people into extraordinary material. He effectively hooks the reader with the very first sentence: “I was looking for a quiet place to die.” And with this he kicks off his narrative, which is beautifully seamless but also perfectly structured. 

The novel’s protagonist is Nathan, a retired life insurance salesman, who commits the first folly when he moves to Brooklyn in order to await death there after being diagnosed with cancer. To break the boredom of waiting, he thinks of writing a book that he calls “The Book of Human Folly,” where he documents his own personal follies and then, when he runs out of those, he moves on to the follies perpetuated by people he knows, then the follies of America and the world.  

Yet our follies, which we are driven to by virtue of the “fragility of the human psyche,” as Dostoesvsky says in his masterpiece The Idiot, are such an essential part of who we are. If I were to ever write a book, I think I would call it “In Praise of Folly.” But, anyway, back to the novel: The truth is, Nathan’s first folly — searching for a quiet place to die — was in fact his door to rediscovering life; a new life where he could become a different person. He reaches out to correct the follies of others, and sometimes embraces new follies that he embarks on and revels in. 

There is always a chance to start fresh — an opening through which life could seep back in and flow, unhindered — even after our protagonist’s biggest folly, which takes place when he leaves the hospital less than one hour after the September 11 attacks.”

—The Stranger by Albert Camus, a particular scene of which Yasmine Zohdi says she remembers every summer, when the heat hits: 

“Before Camus’s protagonist Meursault unexpectedly shoots the Arab, we are given a detailed description of the overpowering heat on the beach: the scorching sun; the sea that ‘gasped for breath with each shallow, stifled little wave that broke on the sand.’ Beads of sweat gather on Meursault’s forehead and drop into his eyes. He feels as though the entire beach, with its blazing sand and the sea that has turned into molten fire, is beating against his back. He pulls the trigger, the Arab drops dead, he fires four more shots at his motionless body. He doesn’t even know the man; they have not exchanged any words — he has no logical reason to kill him. But that is the purpose of the novel, as Camus says: to embrace absurdity, in the face of the ‘gentle indifference of the world.’ It is the heat and the heat alone that drives Meursault to commit the crime that would become his undoing, as he teetered on the edge of a certain sunstroke.

Whenever I find myself seething with anger or discontent on long, humid summer days — particularly when I’m battling the heat and Cairo’s crazy traffic all at once — and I’m overwhelmed with the misery of human existence, I think of Meursault, and I remind myself: ‘It’s just the heat, you are okay.’ The agony ends when I enter an air-conditioned room or find a patch of shade on the street or stand under a steady stream of cold water in the shower, and I discover that I was right. Heat is an enemy; heat blinds us, cripples us, and can sometimes drive us mad.” 

WATCH

If the heat and boredom are causing a mix of anxiety that makes reading a difficult feat, then maybe you’d rather watch something. Here are some recommendations that fit the current vibe, and all of which are available for free:

Barsoum Looking for a Job (Mohamed Bayoumi, 1923)

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The Image (Michael Armstrong, 1969)

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The Watermelon (Mohamed Khan, 1972)

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Civilized People (Randa Chahal Sebag, 1999 — watch it here) 

Rebecca (Alfred Hitchcock, 1940)

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Is This Free? (Lauris Beinerts, 2011)

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Hotel Chevalier (Wes Anderson, 2007)

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The Neighbor's Window (Marshall Curry, 2019)

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LISTEN

In an attempt to break the boredom and add a bit of a kick to your summer, here’s a new set by SCHWIFT BANK — enjoy on the beach or at home:

https://soundcloud.com/mada-masr/002-schwift-bank-mada-mix-2020-jul-23

Track list:

1. Weld Ommi - Emna Fakher | 2. Kamadaat - Lege-Cy | 3. Another Life - Jadu Heart | 4. Weedman - Channel Tres | 5. In A Bind (Strings Version) - Vagabon | 6. Bakaw Samir - Kaso | 7. Maybe This Time - Empress Of  | 8. The Current - Hundreds | 9. You Know Where My Happiness Went - Valentina | 10. Яма - IC3PEAK | 11. God's Work (feat. iLL BLU) - IAMDDB | 12. Anyab - Dareen | 13. No Fear - Tamer Nafar | 14. Where Did the Night Go - Gil Scott-Heron | 15. Kids - Little Dragon | 16. Trad - Nadine Shah | 17. Strawberry Privilege - Yves Tumor | 18. EVP - Peaking Lights | 19. Tropicana - Pas Sages | 20. Pop Song - Porridge Radio | 21. Fall With Me - Sinead O Brien | 22. Paprika Pony - Kim Gordon| 23. Bruce Grove - El Far3i | 24. mOth - Dua Saleh| 25. Pikachu - Yung Lean | 26. De9a De9a - Snor | 27. Mussolini - Afroto | 28. Nothing the Night Can't Change - Harkin | 29. Love That Never - TOKiMONSTA | 30. Ladies for Babies (Goats for Love) - Nadine Shah | 31. Cry (feat. Grimes) - Ashnikko

SALAM

And on this hot summer weekend, we remember Amy Winehouse, who passed away nine years ago yesterday.

Until next time, dear readers.

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