#533 Midnight in Cairo: The Divas of Egypt's Roaring '20s - Dr. Raphael Cormack
The Not Old - Better Show
Paul Vogelzang
4.7 • 106 Ratings
🗓️ 28 April 2021
⏱️ 30 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Midnight in Cairo: The Divas of Egypt's Roaring '20s - Dr. Raphael Cormack
Smithsonian Associates, The Not Old Better Show Interview Series
Welcome to The Not Old Better Show. I'm Paul Vogelzang. As part of our Smithsonian Associates Art of Living interview series, our guest today is Dr. Raphael Cormack.
Dr Raphael Cormack has written a new book, Midnight in Cairo: The Divas of Egypt's Roaring '20s and will be introducing and reading a section from his book, which is excellent, getting great reviews and absolutely a winner!
One of the world's greatest 20th-century cosmopolitan cities, Cairo was a magnet for the ambitious and talented. During the 1920s and 30s, a lively music, theater, film, and cabaret scene flourished, dominated by women—as stars but also as impresarios, entrepreneurs, owners, and promoters of the arts industry.
Buffeted by crosswinds of colonialism and nationalism, conservatism and liberalism, religious and secular values, patriarchy and feminism, this new generation of celebrities offered a new vision for women in Egypt and throughout the Middle East.
Raphael Cormack, an award-winning editor and translator, pulls back the curtain on these boundary-breaking women in entertainment. Dr. Cormack unveils the rich histories of independent, enterprising figures like vaudeville star Rose al-Youssef who launched one of Cairo's most important literary newspapers.
That was Dr. Raphael Cormack reading from his new book, Midnight in Cairo: The Divas of Egypt's Roaring '20s
Dr. Carmack will be presenting at Smithsonian Associates program, entitled, Midnight in Cairo: The Divas of Egypt's Roaring '20s, May 20, and we have him today. Please join me in welcoming Smithsonian Asssociate, Dr. Raphael Cormack.
My thanks to Dr. Raphael Cormack for joining us today. You'll find links to Dr. Raphael Cormack's Smithsonian Associates presentation on our website, along with more details. My thanks to the Smithsonian Associates team for all they do to support the show, and my special thanks to you, my wonderful Not Old Better Show audience. Please be safe, practice smart social distancing, get the vaccine, and Talk About Better. The Not Old
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to the Nattled Better Show, I'm Paul Vogelsang. |
| 0:07.0 | As part of our Smithsonian Associate's Art of Living Interview Series, our guest today |
| 0:10.9 | is Dr. Rafael Cormac. |
| 0:13.7 | Dr. Rafael Cormac has written a new book, Midnight in Cairo, The Divas of Egypt's Roaring |
| 0:19.9 | 20s, and will be introducing and reading a section from his book, which is excellent. |
| 0:24.8 | It's getting great reviews, and it is absolutely a winner I loved this book. |
| 0:31.8 | One of the world's greatest 20th century cosmopolitan cities, Cairo, was a magnet for the |
| 0:36.8 | ambitious and talented. |
| 0:38.9 | During the 1920s and 30s, a lively music, theater, film, and cabaret scene flourished, dominated |
| 0:46.7 | by women as stars, but also as impressarios, entrepreneurs, owners, and promoters of the |
| 0:53.5 | arts industry. |
| 0:55.9 | Buffeted by crosswinds of colonialism and nationalism, conservatism and liberalism, |
| 1:01.4 | religious, and secular values, patriarchy, and feminism, this new generation of celebrities |
| 1:06.9 | offered a new vision for women in Egypt and throughout the Middle East. |
| 1:11.8 | Rafael Cormac, an award-winning editor and translator, pulls back the curtain on these |
| 1:17.2 | boundary-breaking women in entertainment. |
| 1:20.0 | And Dr. Cormac unveils the rich histories of independent, enterprising figures like |
| 1:24.2 | vaudeville star Rose Al Yosef, who launched one of Cairo's most important literary newspapers. |
| 1:33.2 | This is a passage that comes from a point early in Rose Al Yosef's career. |
| 1:38.8 | Rose Al Yosef is one of the many women featured in the book, who started off as an actress, |
| 1:44.4 | and then made her name as a journalist, and this little incident comes from when she's |
| 1:50.6 | really just starting to take off. |
... |
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