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Author: Hannah

Shepheard’s Hotel, Cairo

‘Aida felt a familiar thrill of anticipation as she crossed the wide veranda and went through those hospitable doors; she’d enjoyed many happy times in this old hotel. Shepheard’s was an institution, holding its own unique place in the affections of all who knew and loved Egypt…’

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A caged bird? The place of a woman in 1940s Egypt

‘I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.’ So declares the heroine of my favourite work of English literature. Jane Eyre was published in the 1840s, yet a century later still a woman has to assert her right to independence in a man’s world…

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The romance of feluccas on the Nile

The beautiful landscapes of Upper Egypt, where I grew up, are so vividly etched into my memory. The Nile, of course, is at the heart of the landscapes, and one of the most romantic views is of traditional felucca sailboats gliding on these timeless waters.

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Egyptology: an enduring fascination

A passion for my home country of Egypt – its history, people and culture – is at the heart of my novel Song of the Nile. Of course, the ancient history of this land is particularly fascinating, and ‘Egyptology’ has wide appeal.  

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The Great Libraries of Alexandria

The new Bibliotheca Alexandrina is a treasure of my birthplace: Alexandria, Egypt. Not only is it beautiful and significant in and of itself, but it commemorates the Great Library of Alexandria built in the 200s BC, one of the most important libraries of all time. How could I fail to be inspired by such devotion to books?

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Finding solace in music

When the nights are long and the days short, when sadness beckons and hope is hard to grasp, when spring seems a long time away… there’s always solace to be found in music.

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A Christmas wish for you

Happy Christmas, dear reader! Wherever you are today, whatever you are doing, whoever you are spending time with – or missing – you are in my thoughts. I have made a Christmas wish for you.

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An end to libraries?

‘I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library,’ wrote Jorge Luis Borges. But, as John Lennon suggested, imagine that there is no heaven, no Paradise – no library…

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Dreaming of a white Christmas

‘I’m dreaming of a white Christmas, just like the ones I used to know,’ sang Bing Crosby. But just why do we associate Christmas with snow, and how likely is snow on 25th December?

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Romantic classical music: My top five pieces

Music has such power to express romantic feelings: as the French novelist Victor Hugo wrote, ‘Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent.’ Here are my top five romantic pieces of classical music – inspiration for my latest novel, Concerto, the love story of a pianist composer and a music therapist.

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An architectural tour of my novels

My love for travel shines through in my novels, which are set in countries I have loved exploring. Here I take you on a little tour of some of the wonderful historic architecture that features in my books.

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