Chicago-area folks may be interested in “History, Fictions, and the Politics of Justice”, an event in two weeks with Saba Mahmood and Mahmood Mamdani.
Mahmood’s lecture is titled “Azazeel and the Politics of Historical Fiction: Sectarian Dramas Ancient and Modern”; Mamdani’s lecture, “Beyond Nuremberg: The Historical Significance of the Post-Apartheid Transition in South Africa”.
October 25, 4pm
International House Home Room
University of Chicago
Further details here.
An und für sich 
On Youssef Ziedan’s Azazeel (now out in translation by Jonathan Wright): http://www.arabicfiction.org/book/29.html
Arabic pdf of the novel: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/10709901/ekutub.com/Free%20books/Literature/Azazeel.pdf