Naguib Mahfouz
Naguib Mahfouz Abdelaziz Ibrahim Ahmed Al-Basha was an Egyptian writer who won the 1988 Nobel Prize in Literature. Mahfouz is regarded as one of the first contemporary writers in Arabic literature, along with Taha Hussein, to explore themes of existentialism. He is the only Egyptian to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. He published 35 novels, over 350 short stories, 26 screenplays, hundreds of op-ed columns for Egyptian newspapers, and seven plays over a 70-year career, from the 1930s until 2004. All of his novels take place in Egypt, and always mentions the lane, which equals the world. His most famous works include The Cairo Trilogy and Children of Gebelawi. Many of Mahfouz's works have been made into Egyptian and foreign films; no Arab writer exceeds Mahfouz in number of works that have been adapted for cinema and television. While Mahfouz's literature is classified as realist literature, existential themes appear in it.
Books by Naguib Mahfouz
7 books available
Arabian Nights and Days
by Naguib Mahfouz
4.1(6,539)
Naguib Mahfouz reworks the Arabian Nights, blending genies, flying carpets, and familiar fables with the insights of a Nobel laureate.
Sugar Street
by Naguib Mahfouz
4.3(9,714)
As Egypt moves toward an uncertain future, the aging al-Sayyid Ahmad Abd al-Jawad watches his grandsons embrace communism, fundamentalism, and political intrigue, shattering his traditions.
Palace Walk
by Naguib Mahfouz
4.2(14,772)
Amidst the British occupation of early 20th-century Cairo, the iron-fisted patriarch Al-Sayyid Ahmad navigates his family through tradition, rebellion, and the city's hidden nightlife, all while his wife and children yearn for freedom beyond their palace walls.
The Day the Leader Was Killed
by Naguib Mahfouz
3.6(2,538)
In the politically charged Cairo of 1981, a pious grandfather, his hapless grandson, and his headstrong fiancée navigate love and societal upheaval, all culminating in the shocking assassination of President Sadat.
Miramar
by Naguib Mahfouz
3.8(8,147)
In a decaying Alexandrian pension, a beautiful peasant girl fleeing an arranged marriage becomes the unwitting catalyst for a spiraling Rashomon-like drama among post-revolutionary Egyptian intellectuals and aristocrats, each projecting their own desires and failures onto her.
The Thief and the Dogs
by Naguib Mahfouz
3.6(7,529)
Betrayed in revolutionary Egypt, a master thief seeks revenge on his former wife, henchman, and a hypocritical mentor, leading to a desperate flight from the law and blurring the lines between victim and villain.
Midaq Alley
by Naguib Mahfouz
3.9(9,152)
In 1940s Cairo, Midaq Alley is a small, crowded world where people pursue their dreams and make moral compromises as new ways threaten their old life.