Writer and editor Anna Della Subin presents a reading of Tawfiq al-Hakim’s 1933 play The People of the Cave as part of Triple Canopy’s The Long Tomorrow issue. The play, based on the legend of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus, which also appears in the Qur’an, tells the story of three Christian men and a dog who awaken in a cave after fleeing from persecution by their pagan king. Upon venturing out, the men discover that three hundred years have passed, and must come to terms with a transformed world. Though hailed in literary circles as a landmark in Egyptian drama, the play flopped with audiences, some of whom fell asleep.
Subin will introduce the play, starring Gini Alhadeff as the Princess Priska, Omar Berrada as Marnush, Robyn Creswell as the King, Sukhdev Sandhu as Mishlinya, Emily Stokes as the tutor Gallias, and Eliot Weinberger as the shepherd Yamlikha.