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Khan Al-Khalili
Khan Al-Khalili: A Novel | Naguib Mahfouz
3 posts | 1 read | 2 to read
"The time is 1942, the Second World War is at its height, and the Africa Campaign is raging along the northern coast of Egypt as far as El Alamein. Against this backdrop of international upheaval, the novel tells the story of the Akifs, a middle-class family that has taken refuge in Cairo's historic and bustling Khan al-Khalili neighborhood. Believing that the German forces will never bomb such a famously religious part of the city, they seek safety among the crowded alleyways, busy cafes, and ancient mosques of the Khan, adjacent to the area where Mahfouz himself spent much of his young life. Through the eyes of Ahmad, the eldest Akif son and the novel's central character, Mahfouz presents a richly textured vision of the Khan, drawing on his own memories to assemble a lively cast of characters whose world is framed by the sights, smells, and flavors of his childhood home. As Ahmad, a minor civil servant who has sacrificed both education and personal ambition in order to support his family, interacts with the people and traditions of Khan al-Khalili, a debate emerges that pits old against new, history against modernity, and faith against secularism. Addressing one of the fundamental questions of the modern era, Mahfouz asks whether, like the German bombsthat threaten Khan al-Khalili daily, progress must necessarily be accompanied by the destruction of the past. Fans of Midaq Alley, The Beginning and the End, and The Cairo Trilogy will not want to miss this engaging and sensitive portrayal of a family atthe crossroads of the old world and the new."-- p. [4] of cover.
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review
MariaW
Khan al-Kalili | Naguib Mahfouz
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Mehso-so

I really liked the book and the plot. It is the description of a family‘s life during WWII in one of the most famous quarters of Cairo - Khan al Khalili. But I have to give it a lower rate because the translation was so-so. They translated every single Arabic word, which was too much. That‘s why the novel lost some of its flair. You can‘t translate ‘Inshallah‘ - or you do so with a footnote. What a pity.
#khanalkhalili #naguibmahfouz #mahfouz

blurb
MariaW
Khan al-Kalili | Naguib Mahfouz
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Coming back to Germany for the summer. Since I live in the middle without a big airport nearby, it‘s quite a trip. So what do you do on the Berlin subway? Read Egyptian Nobel Prize winners! 😊
#naguibmahfouz #mahfouz #khanalkhalili #egypt #egyptianlit #egyptianliterature

blurb
MariaW
Khan Al-Khalili: A Novel | Naguib Mahfouz
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Current book pile aka reading list. Some of them egyptian reads, in means of setting, author or religion. Which fits perfectly since Cairo has been my home for nine months now. #naguibmahfouz #khanalkhalili #thelionofcairo #scottoden #philippullman #rubyinthesmoke #desedlenqurans #blueprint #blaupause #charlottekerner #joachimmeyerhoff #egyptianlit #egyptianliterature #egypt #cairo #aegpten #kairo