Kantara is a novel that follows the personal growth of a Christian-Egyptian boy and a half Jewish-half-Muslim-Egyptian girl and their tumultuous love story during the modern and turbulent Middle Eastern history that spans the years from 1948 to 1967. From the start, the two lovers are determined to overcome the religious and cultural divide that doesn't allow such a relationship to exist, let alone endure. The 1948 war separates them for a while, but not before their love solidifies into an unbreakable bond. They are reunited at Cairo University where the girl studies literature and the boy medicine. They share their respective learning in an honest search for the truth, both in science and the humanities, as they try to find a way to bridge the gulf that separates them. The 1956 war intervenes to set them apart, as the girl is expelled from Egypt with her Jewish mother. The 1967 war pins each one in an opposing army, which turned out to be, in their case, an unforeseen blessing as they meet in a POW camp inside Israel. This time around, they succeed in breaking their shackles by moving to New York, where they get married and have a child. However, the Jewish mother, just before she dies in Israel, reveals a long-held secret, which brings the story to an unexpected and tragic end.
About the Author: Dr. Fouad Bishay Michael is a retired physician and writer living in Charlottesville, Virginia. After graduating from the Medical School of Cairo University in Egypt, he immigrated to the United States, where he trained and became Board Certified in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. He became the Chief of the Otolaryngology Department at Mercy Medical Center in Rockville Centre, N.Y. He also taught in a residency program at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary Hospital in Manhattan. In addition, he managed a private practice in Long Island, N.Y., and finally retired at the age 62 to devote his time to writing. He studied creative writing, philosophy, biology, literature, and cosmology at Molloy College in Rockville Center, N.Y. and at the University of Virginia and its affiliates in Charlottesville, Virginia. He spends his time reading, writing, sculpting, listening to classical music, and playing the Flute. Publications: Books: *In the Guts of Health care (Authorhouse, 2004) *Ingenious Nonsense (Authorhouse, 2012) *Egyptian Immigrants, a book of short stories, to be published soon. *Neo-Genesis, a parody, to be completed in the near future. Essays: *Several essays on health care issues were published in medical journals and newsletters. *Several letter-to-the-editors were published in daily newspapers.