City of the Sun (50 page)

BOOK: City of the Sun

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I started this book with only one key phrase in mind—
The Jews of Egypt
—and I cannot express my gratitude enough to Hugh Miles, who was with me at the beginning of this journey and helped shape this unwieldy epic before he went on to become an award-winning journalist and author. I’m also very grateful to historian Afaf Lutfi al-Sayyid-Marsot, professor
emeritus of history at UCLA, for her suggestions as to the story’s framework within Egypt’s political theater.

Many authors can boast a guardian angel behind their work, but I was blessed with three: my magical and amazing editors, Jane Cavolina and Maggie Crawford, and Phoebe Larmore, who lent me her keen ear for story development. I owe so much to each of these women for their friendship, dedication, nurturing, and respect, and most of all for their tenacious belief in this book.

I also would like to thank Agatha Dominik, for reading draft after draft and standing by me through the whole process; Nicholas Meyer, for his generous advice and support; Jamie deBlanc, for gently coaching me in the art of writing prose; Gunther Schiff, my mentor, for sharing with me his traumatic experience of growing up as a Jew in prewar Germany; my mother-in-law, Sherry Phillips, for loving every single sentence I’ve ever written; my sister, Joyce Maio, for providing invaluable introductions for my research and joining me on an unforgettable trip back to Egypt; my brother, Léo Maio, for his undiluted love, depth, and intellect. Also, I’d like to thank Lucinda Karter, Amy Williams, and Elaine Markson for loving the book and for all their efforts on my behalf.

And to my two greatest loves—my daughter, Natasha, and my husband, Michael—a special thanks for their infinite patience and love. Their gift of love was so large that rather than letting me take this journey alone, they both plunged in with me, with my daughter taking special interest in all things Arabic, and my husband completely immersing himself in the pages of this book as I wrote them and giving me notes every night with his dreaded red pencil. He’s been my rock, my lighthouse, and my knight in shining armor. Thank you both for sharing the nostalgia of once upon a time in Cairo …

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Juliana Maio was born in Egypt but expelled from the country with her family during the Suez Crisis. She was raised in France and completed her higher education in the United States, receiving a BA from the University of California, Berkeley, and her Juris Doctor degree from UC Hastings.

Juliana practices entertainment law in Los Angeles and has represented internationally renowned filmmakers. Prior to practicing law she served as vice president of worldwide corporate and business affairs for Triumph Films, a joint venture between Columbia Pictures and Gaumont Films.

Juliana is the cofounder of Lighthouse Productions, an independent film and television company. She speaks both domestically and abroad about the Arab Spring. She lives with her husband and daughter in Los Angeles.