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 Hertwig`s own bunker, and he`s built it 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, exploring such diverse topics as far right ideologies, middle east mysticism and the art of communicating via food preparation and presentation. 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.

Robert Twigger is the author of several previous books including Angry White Pyjamas and, most recently, Real Men Eat Puffer Fish. He is married and lives in Cairo.