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    What if you could buy wishes? An Egyptian fantasy comic does some wishful thinking

    Artist and author Deena Mohamed created a graphic novel about how wishes would — or wouldn't — work in modern-day Egypt. Her much-praised book is now out in English. It's ... a wish come true!
    by Malaka Gharib Jan 11, 2023 5 minutes
    An self-portrait of Deena Mohamed, author of the graphic novel <em>Shubeik Lubeik — </em>a fantasy story of making wishes in modern-day Egypt.

    If Egyptian comics artist and writer Deena Mohamed ever encountered a genie, she knows what she'd wish for. She'd wish for everyone she loved to live to age 120. And she'd wish for any book she ever wanted to read to appear right in front of her eyes.

    "If I ever come across a genie, I have to be ready," she says. "They have to be smart wishes."

    Wishes are the theme of her debut graphic fantasy novel, , Arabic for "your wish is my command," published this week by Pantheon Books. The book follows Shokry, a kiosk owner in Cairo, Egypt, as he tries to sell off three wishes he inherited from his father. A pious Muslim, he refuses to use the wishes on himself because he worries they might not be in the spirit

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