Charlie and Éric Chacour (What I Know About You) discuss Egypt in the 1970s for the Levantine community and LGBT people, the famous French-Egyptian singer Dalida, Romeo and Juliet, Éric's use of the second person, and author and translator working together on writing that had been in place for 15 years.

A transcript is available on my site

General references: Dalida's Helwa ya Baladi

Books mentioned by name or extensively: Éric Chacour: What I Know About You

Buy the books: UK || USA

Release details: recorded 20th September 2024; published 10th February 2025

Where to find Éric online: Facebook || Instagram

Where to find Charlie online: Website || Twitter || Instagram || TikTok

Discussions

02:09 Éric's initial inspiration, Romeo and Juliet, for What I Know About You (he'd been writing the book for years)
05:18 The writing itself, including the use of the second person (Charlie has pointed out Éric's dedication to syllables and language) and the translation
10:31 The political backdrop, the use of it, and the decades chosen
13:29 The time period in terms of the LGBT community and Tarek's choices in that context
14:55 Entangled protons and love
16:25 Could Tarek have stayed with his family?
18:24 More on reader's interpretations and reactions
20:53 Nesrine and Mira and their importance
26:35 The servant, Fatheya
29:16 Talking of the impossibility of another point of view and the ending
31:20 Éric tells us why he included Vivienne
33:11 More about theatrical inspirations, and then we get on to how Éric wanted to be a songwriter
37:44 Dalida
39:22 Should we blame the grandmother?
41:54 Reality and fiction in terms of Rafik's narrative owing much to imagination and interpretation
45:41 What's next?

Photo credit: Justine Latour

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