Crime and humour : how do they coexist in contemporary Egyptian fiction?

In his collection of short stories Dayrūṭ al-sharīf wa-Nuʿmān ʿAbd al-Ḥāfiẓ (1986), the Egyptian writer Muḥammad Mustajāb (1938-2005) depicts a village in Upper Egypt whose community is tied together by legends about eccentric characters and heinous crimes. Similarly, Nisāʾ al-Karantīnā (2013) by Nāʾil al-Ṭūkhī (b. 1978) reconstructs the criminal history of Alexandria over three generation of gangsters, using an epic tone and dark humour. In both works of fiction, crime is so pervasive that it is taken for granted and becomes a laughable matter, which challenges the idyllic picture of peaceful coexistence. This paper aims at comparing these books to understand how the representation of crime can turn into comedy and the grotesque. In particular, this contribution will focus on the narrative strategies employed by Mustajāb and al-Ṭūkhī, which include collective storytelling and reporting techniques. It will also look at the ironic portrayal of conflict and coexistence within these marginal groups, how they integrate into the national community, and how the negotiate modernity. Finally, it will explore how these works of fiction draw upon popular culture to generate a humorous effect.