Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.
Loading... Cats of Cairo: Egypt's Enduring Legacyby Lorraine Chittock
None Loading...
Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. Neither the scholarly expose that I was expecting nor a catalog of cute cat pix, Cairo Cats is a work of art. Lorraine Chittock blends poetical snippets with her photos of scenes our eye might glimpse yet our cameras could never capture. I warmed up slowly at first thinking, yes, nice cat pix around Cairo. But as I lingered through the excerpts from writers I'd never read from ages ago until the famous Naguib Mahfouz, the calligraphy of Islamic lore touched sentiments in me that must be universal. I was beguiled by the way cats command their space with hieroglyphic poses as they absorb the light or assimilate the shadows. The photographer tells stories as well with human expressions. For me an ancient statue backdrop for a tiny kitten sums it up, Ramesses II as omnipresent in Egypt as the cats in Cairo. no reviews | add a review
Far from being pampered house pets, the cats of Cairo are street-smart survivors who roam freely throughout the city. However, their ancestors in ancient Egypt were revered as gods and were so beloved that they were portrayed in statues and jewelry. In subsequent centuries, the tradition of adoring cats continued and today, as Lorraine Chittock's captivating photographs display, the mystique of the cat lives on. Discover your cat's Egyptian heritage in this delightful gift book, which pays homage to the special and timeless bond that Egyptians have with the cat in the ever-changing city of Cairo. Rambling through mosques and markets, Lorraine Chittock, a cat-lover-cum-photographer, searched Cairo's nooks and crannies for city-savvy felines, becoming a wildlife tracker in an urban environment. The resulting photographs are remarkable for their spontaneity and often whimsical sensitivities to both feline and human body language. Each intimate and thoughtprovoking photograph is complemented by an apposite literary passage, tempting the reader to explore tidbits of folklore, religion, and poetry from Egypt and the Arab world, while giving insights into an animal that has inspired fascinating tales for at least five thousand years. No library descriptions found. |
Current DiscussionsNonePopular covers
Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)636.80096216Technology Agriculture & related technologies Animal husbandry Cats -- Standard subdivisions Biography; History By PlaceLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
Is this you?Become a LibraryThing Author. |