International Book Group – Midaq Alley by Najīb Maḥfūẓ

Considered by many to be Mahfouz’s best novel, Midaq Alley centers around the residents of one of the hustling, teeming back alleys of Cairo. No other novel so vividly evokes the sights and sounds of the city. The universality and timelessness of this book cannot be denied.

“Naguib Mahfouz virtually invented the novel as an Arab form. He excels at fusing deep emotion and soap opera.” —The New York Times Book Review

“Mahfouz’s work is freshly nuanced and hauntingly lyrical. The Nobel Prize acknowledges the universal significance of his fiction.” —Los Angeles Times Book Review