I Loved You for Your Voice

The story of one man’s love for a woman, that woman’s love for her music and her country, and of an entire world’s love for its idols.

A poet and a singer, unrequited love and a troubled national history: these are the subjects of Sélim Nassib’s I Loved You for Your Voice. Inspired by the life and legacy of one of the world’s most beloved singers, the story of Om Kalthoum is told here through the eyes of Ahmad Rami, the poet who wrote her lyrics and loved her in vain all his life. Kalthoum, forced to disguise herself as a boy at the outset of her career, eventually rises to international fame and becomes a living symbol of her country’s rebirth. Spanning five decades, Kalthoum’s story intertwines with the history of Egypt in a novel that is as faithful as it is imaginative.

“A dazzling masterpiece.”—Nigrizia (Italy)