Nasser and His Generation

Nasser and His Generation is one of the most important books on modern Egyptian history. It goes beyond a simple chronicle of the Nasserist regime or a psychological biography of its hero: it studies the personality of President Gamal Abdel Nasser, his ideas and beliefs, where he acquired them and how they manifested in his positions. The book treats President Nasser as the representative of a generation of Egyptians, many of whom joined his march to power and surrounded him with support and backing, before turning a blind eye to him and turning their backs on him in one way or another. The book chronicles the stage on which the Nasserist regime emerged, highlighting the factors behind the disintegration of the old order that the Free Officers overthrew in 1952, and treats the history of the Nasserist period in its various phases and in its relations with the Arabs, Israel and the world. It also treats Nasserism as a product of Nasser’s absolute rule, and offers a general assessment of Nasser’s personality and the legacy he left in Egypt and the world, drawing on archival and press sources and extensive interviews with his comrades and opponents. A monumental book that no one interested in the modern history of Egypt and the Arabs can do without.