Both these things focused Mr Mahfouz's attentions and talent on the real-life drama of Cairo's streets.

ECONOMIST: Naguib Mahfouz | The

The episode was made famous again this year by the release of the hit movie "Argo, " loosely based on the real-life drama.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Ben Affleck, coming off winning Golden Globe Awards for best motion picture drama and director for the real-life drama, received the award handed out at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

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But the prizes were overshadowed by a real-life drama reflected in the film: two of the actors, Javier Nunez Florian and Anailin de la Rua, vanished in Miami en route to the film's Tribeca premiere.

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The real-life drama of D.

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The video is dull and grainy, but it shows real-life drama: A comeuppance for David Ji, an entrepreneur who built a billion-dollar business importing dirt-cheap DVD players from a booming China, where he was born, and selling them at Wal-Mart and Circuit City stores in the U.S., his adopted home for two decades.

FORBES: Held Hostage In China

The video is dull and grainy, but it shows real-life drama: A comeuppance for David Ji, a celebrated U.S.-bred entrepreneur who built a billion-dollar business importing dirt-cheap DVD players from a booming China, where he was born, and selling them at Wal-Mart and Circuit City stores in the U.S., his adopted home for two decades.

FORBES: Held Hostage In China

The writer has built up his reputation forging drama out of pivotal real-life events, shining the spotlight on memorable moments from our recent past.

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For part of the journey, he wore a mask to make him anonymous like the real-life guides, which was supposed to add to the drama.

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