A Drive to Israel: An Egyptian Meets His Neighbors (Dayan Center Papers, 128)

Ali Salem's A Drive to Israel is an engaging account of Israel through Egyptian eyes, and a deliberate challenge to Egypt's intellectual establishment.

In 1994, the popular playwright and humorist Ali Salem filled up his old soviet built car, loaded the trunk with copies of his books, and drove from Cairo to Israel. In three intense weeks, he traveled the length and breadth of the country. On the return, he wrote a provocative book, full of wry humor and keen insight, which became a best seller in Egypt. Ali Salem's A Drive to Israel is an engaging account of Israel through Egyptian eyes, and a deliberate challenge to Egypt's intellectual establishment.