Hey, AskHistorians. I'm working on a novel which takes place in Egypt (largely Cairo and Giza, though that could expand) during WWII. I'm looking for sources of inspiration and stories I can draw upon for setting and authentic feel.
I am reading Out of Egypt, a memoir by Andre Aciman, which takes place in Alexandria somewhat during that time period. Do you know of any other memoirs or even fiction novels that might also hit the mark? Movies could work. Straight up history obviously works, too, but I need somewhat more than the facts of what happened when and to whom. I debated as to where to post this, but AskHistorians seemed like a decent shot. If you can think of somewhere better, please point me to it!
Roald Dahl served with the RAF in the Mediterranean during the war. He spent some time in Egypt and the Middle East, and devoted a couple of chapters in his autobiography Going Solo to his experiences there. You might want to take a look at it.
It's not heavy on detail or discussion, but Dahl's capacity for crafting good stories makes it, if nothing else, a highly enjoyable read.