North Africa
Egypt
Post-colonial
Arabic
Fiction
Set in a forgotten alley in medieval Cairo, the novel follows the interlocking lives of its residents—a café owner, a matchmaker, a dentist, and a young woman dreaming of escape—as they grapple with ambition, desire, and the collision of tradition and modernity.
Literary Significance
Regarded as one of Mahfouz's finest works and a defining portrait of Egyptian urban life
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Catalog summary
editorial-summarynot primary textSet in a forgotten alley in medieval Cairo, the novel follows the interlocking lives of its residents—a café owner, a matchmaker, a dentist, and a young woman dreaming of escape—as they grapple with ambition, desire, and the collision of tradition and modernity. Regarded as one of Mahfouz's finest works and a defining portrait of Egyptian urban life
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