"Persistent, revelatory, and human." - Paul Theroux

"The 'The Buried' is the kind of book you don't want to end and won't forget. With the eye of a great storyteller, Peter Hessler weaves history, reporting, memoirs, and, above all, the lives of ordinary people into a beautiful and haunting depiction of Egypt and its Revolution." - Ben Rhodes

Winner of the Peter Mackenzie Smith Book Prize 2021

In 2011, as revolution swept through Egypt, Peter Hessler reported on the daily lives and ancient secrets of a country in turmoil.

The result is this unforgettable work of literary and documentary brilliance. In 'The Buried', Hessler follows human stories alongside the broader flow of historical events: Tahrir Square, the massacres, and the coup constitute the backdrop, but so do the ancient cults, the buried cities in the desert, and the dead pharaohs with grand ambitions. More important are the people building their lives in this world. We follow garbage man Sayeed, Arabic teacher Rifaat, and Manu, a translator. There are also the Chinese migrants who have built an underwear empire, political figures, and inventive archaeologists. With them, the question arises: is the revolution merely repetition, or can things truly change?

Pages: 480, Year of Publication: 0702, Dimensions: 13x13cm