Midaq Alley

Midaq Alley

Naguib Mahfouz - 1995

Overview

Widely acclaimed as Naguib Mahfouz's best novel, Midaq Alley brings to life one of the hustling, teeming back alleys of Cairo in the 1940s. From Zaita the cripple-maker to Kirsha the hedonistic cafe owner, from Abbas the barber who mistakes greed for love to Hamida who sells her soul to escape the alley, from waiters and widows to politicians, pimps, and poets, the inhabitants of Midaq Alley vividly evoke Egypt's largest city as it teeters on the brink of change. Never has Nobel Prize-winner Mahfouz's talent for rich and luxurious storytelling been more evident than here, in his portrait of one small street as a microcosm of the world on the threshold of modernity.

Who it's for

• Readers interested in Egyptian literature and culture.
• Those who enjoy character-driven narratives set in historical contexts.
• Fans of Nobel Prize-winning authors.

Key features

• Paperback edition
• Published by Random House (USA)
• 286 pages
• ISBN: 9780385264761
• Published in 1995