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Midaq Alley
Midaq Alley: A New Translation | Naguib Mahfouz
This much-loved Mahfouz masterpiece is a rich account of life in a back street in a poor quarter of medieval Cairo. While the novel focuses on a willful young woman whose ambition to escape the confines of the alley leads her into prostitution, a pageant of other vivid characters, from the cafe owner who likes boys to the man who creates maimed beggars and from the young man with the faithful heart to the rake and the pimp, fleshes out the picture of a society in crisis and transition. Though set during the Second World War, the characters' alienation from the prevailing political system and the desire of many of them to escape the economic and social stagnation of the alley give the work an unexpectedly up-to-date flavor. Mahfouz presents his characters with wry humor and a relish for the contradictions and fallibilities innate in people everywhere (even the alley's beloved spiritual mentor beats his wife). This new translation of one the writer's best known works has been undertaken to celebrate the centenary of his birth on 11 December 2011.
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andrew61
Midaq Alley | Naj?b Ma?f??
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Pickpick

A story of a cairo street during ww2 which doesn't shy away from the darker side of society with a cafe owner obsessed with yng boys, a man who makes a living by disabling men to become beggars, a dentist who finds his gold teeth from corpses, and a yng woman who drifts into prostitution. Despite dark themes the author tells a story with love of characters + a society you feel he knows intimately. I imagined myself sat in a cafe
observing it all.

Leftcoastzen I need to read him , I have 5 of his books in my house waiting to be read . 3y
andrew61 @Leftcoastzen yes ,having looked at his biography I will definitely try and find more by him. 3y
BarbaraBB I enjoyed this one too. 3y
See All 13 Comments
KCofKaysville @Leftcoastzen I have only read #PalaceWalk so far but liked it. I will also read more. 3y
KCofKaysville Oops looks like this was it 3y
KCofKaysville Wrong again. It's a different book 3y
MariaW @Leftcoastzen @andrew61 @BarbaraBB @KCofKaysville And when you are all done reading Mahfouz, you come visit me in Cairo and we will have a walk through Old Cairo streets and see his settings. 😁 3y
BarbaraBB That would be fantastic 🇪🇬 3y
Cathythoughts Great review 👍🏻 3y
Centique Oh I loved Palace Walk so I will be keen to try this. I found his writing style a little hard to get into at first but once I was in, it was amazing. 3y
andrew61 @MariaW I would love to be sat in a Cairo cafe with several bookish people discussing the settings of the books :) 3y
andrew61 @Centique yes the prose style took a while to get used to but I'm never sure if that is the translation or different countries method of writing. I will definitely give palace walk a go. 3y
MariaW @andrew61 Anytime! 3y
42 likes3 stack adds13 comments
review
TheBookDream
Midaq Alley | Naj?b Ma?f??
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Pickpick

👍👍

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TheBookDream
Midaq Alley | Naj?b Ma?f??
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“Many things combine to show that Midaq Alley is one of the gems of times gone by and that it once shown forth like a flashing star in the history of Cairo.” #FirstLineFridays

@ShyBookOwl

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TheBookDream
Midaq Alley | Naj?b Ma?f??
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Need a break from school and work so I‘m sitting outside with my book club book.

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Schwifty
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Pickpick

This was a quite enjoyable short novel about the personalities and dramas between the residents of a back alley in the slums of Cairo. There's an exotic flavor to it (of course) and while I didn't read it in the original Arabic, the Le Gassick translation upholds a poetic prose that I imagine is more pronounced in the original. The story is compelling, but ends in much tragedy. All in all, it's a good read, just not an uplifting one.

BarbaraBB I really enjoyed this one too. 4y
2 likes1 comment
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BarbaraBB

'This crisis too, like all the others, finally subsided and the alley returned to its usual state of indifference and forgetfulness.' #1001books

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BarbaraBB
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Pickpick

Midaq Alley in Cairo means the world to most of its inhabitants, who hardly ever leave it. And indeed it is, with all that happens to the people who live there. Mahfouz creates personages and an atmosphere that make the alley incredibly real to me. The joy and the sadness, the interaction between the neighbours and their faith in god make it a an authentic and unforgettable story. #1001books

10 likes3 stack adds
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erzascarletbookgasm
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vivastory Love the cover for "Arabian Nights & Days" 7y
ValerieAndBooks Nice! I have three books in one volume by Mahfouz (Midaq Alley, The Thief and the Dog, and Miramar), and the cover isn't as lovely as yours. 7y
56 likes2 comments
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shawnmooney
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USED BOOKSTORE HAUL

I have wanted to read Mahfouz FOREVER!

Lindy Me too, even though what @RealLifeReading has to say gives me reason to pause. I feel like I will need to be in the right mood for him. 7y
LeahBergen I've been meaning to read his stuff for forever, too. 7y
33 likes2 comments