Dr Ragab's Universal Language

Charlatan. Guru. Master of disguise. Ahead of his time wise beyond his years a simple opportunist or the great pretender; however you choose to see him one fact is certain: Dr Ragab is a mysterious man. Talked about by pretty much everyone in 1920s Cairo only a few get the chance to make his acquaintance and fewer still -- one person in fact -- get to study his life lessons. Hertwig is that lucky soul. Or not so lucky perhaps: not when he finds himself at the very end of the second world war imprisoned in a bunker in Germany by a gang of thugs. To make matters worse it''s not just any bunker; it''s the family bunker built to be 100% escape-proof. And yet . . . there is a possible way out. Not in the conventional sense it''s true but when you''re holed up several feet underground unsure of how long your captors plan to keep you alive convention isn''t necessarily a good thing as Dr Ragab would be the first to proclaim -- and it''s his universal language that may just provide Hertwig with the escape route he needs. As unconventional as the eponymous Ragab Robert Twigger''s novel takes the reader on a surreal journey. Clever funny and thought-provoking Dr Ragab''s Universal Language is in every sense beyond belief: part tall tale and part self-help manual it is like Dr R himself impossible to pin down -- or indeed to put down.