Egypt has exerted a fascination over writers in English since the eighteenth century and continues to do so. This review of the literature inspired by the country starts from pre-Napoleonic days, referring to writers who have lived, worked, visited and fought there. Three chapters are devoted to the cultural life of Egypt during World War II as seen through the eyes of an Egyptian writer and a British writer, both of whom were there at the time. Their aim is to reveal some of the facts behind fictionalized versions of the period which have tended to obscure its real significance as an epoch in which a cultural life of its own was created during a time of world upheaval. Under Egypt's Spell concludes by showing how the country has cast its spell upon its own people and how Egyptian writers have themselves been influenced by European culture. - Jacket flap.