Divine Comedy (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781545299487)

The middle of five children, Sabri George Bebawi was born in 1956 in the town of Fayoum, Egypt. He attended law school at Cairo University. His refusal to carry arms and follow Arab orders to kill Jews forced him to flee from Egypt. He then left for the United Kingdom. He was invited to study at Oxford University, where he spent a semester, and he never returned to Egypt. A few years later, after living and working in England, Italy, France, and Cyprus, he took refuge in the United States. This has been the biggest mistake he has made in his life. Sadly, it could never be fixed, as he had given up all other nationalities and residences. He became an instructor of English as a second language. Later, after more studies, he became a professor of English, journalism, teachers' training, and educational technology. He studied for more graduate work at the University of California, Los Angeles, and obtained a PhD in education and distance learning from Capella University while taking courses at UCLA. Although English is his third language, he has published many works on eclectic topics. Divine Comedy is his third novel. His first novel, God on Trial, has been surprisingly successful; it has won many awards, including a British literary award in 2015. As English is a foreign language to him, the task of writing the perfect novel has always been challenging. As a child, Sabri Bebawi struggled to make sense of the world. He grew up terrified of God and the world. As he grew older and studied law, as well as all the holy books, he developed a more pragmatic and sensible stance; the word god became just that-a word. And the world became just a mirage. Bebawi waits for that certain-to-come day when all religions, conformity, capitalism, republicanism, and inhumanity are eradicated. He wishes America well, though it appears to him that it is a little too late; evil forces have possessed America, and no one knows how. Bebawi is currently a fellow of the Salzburg Institute on Globalization in Austria. He lectures on the negative effects of globalization on poor and abused nations.