{"product_id":"the-quarter","title":"The Quarter","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"summary entry-summary\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"book-details\"\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"section\"\u003eAbout the Book\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMeet the people of Cairo’s Gamaliya quarter. There is Nabqa, son of Adam the waterseller who can only speak truths; the beautiful and talented Tawhida who does not age with time; Ali Zaidan, the gambler, late to love; and Boss Saqr who stashes his money above the bath. A neighbourhood of demons, dancing and sweet halva, the quarter keeps quiet vigil over the secrets of all who live there.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis collection by pre-eminent Egyptian writer Naguib Mahfouz was recently discovered among his old papers. Found with a slip of paper titled ‘for publishing 1994’, they are published here for the first time. Resplendent with Mahfouz’s delicate and poignant observations of everyday happenings, these lively stories take the reader deep into the beating heart of Cairo.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"section\"\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNaguib Mahfouz (d. 2006) is Egypt’s foremost writer. Over a career that lasted more than five decades, he wrote 34 novels, 13 short story anthologies, numerous plays and 30 screenplays. Of his many works, the most famous are \u003ci\u003eThe Cairo Trilogy\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Children of Gebelawi\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Thief and the Dogs\u003c\/i\u003e. Mahfouz received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1988, the first writer in Arabic to do so.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"section\"\u003eAbout the Translator\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRoger Allen obtained his doctoral degree in modern Arabic literature from Oxford University in 1968, the first student to do so. His translations of Naguib Mahfouz’s novels include \u003ci\u003eMirrors\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eAutumn Quail\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eKarnak Café\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eKhan al-Khalili\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eOne Hour Left\u003c\/i\u003e, as well as the short story collection \u003ci\u003eGod’s World\u003c\/i\u003e. He has also translated the seminal works of key contemporary authors such as Jabra Ibrahim Jabra, Yusuf Idris, May Telmissany, Ahmad al-Tawfiq and Hanan al-Shaykh.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"section\"\u003eReviews\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e‘A master of both detailed realism and fabulous storytelling’ \u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e‘A towering literary figure, and the joyous chronicler of a turbulent Egyptian century’ \u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Economist\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e‘Egypt’s greatest living writer … one of the world’s most humane literary figures’ \u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLaila Lalami, \u003cem\u003eThe Nation\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e‘Masterly … Unmistakably Cairene … translated with practised clarity by Roger Allen.’ \u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eTLS\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e‘Naguib Mahfouz’s legacy as Egypt’s greatest novelist is sustained with these engaging short stories … their themes are timeless.’ \u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eNew Statesman\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e‘Adds yet another essential chapter to the oeuvre of a literary figure of greatness.’ \u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe National\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e‘Smooth reading … a compelling experiment in sound and echo.’ \u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eQantara\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e‘[Mahfouz’s] characters reveal to the reader not just the brutality of everyday life but also its distorted beauty. They show the complexities and uniqueness of their world and in doing so offer lessons for all of humanity to draw on’ \u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eSocialist Review\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e‘Exceptional … a charming book … Mahfouz plunges his readers into a world gleaming with folktales, moral allegories, and strange, otherworldly occurrences … The Quarter is a recommended read for those who want to understand how the Arab world’s most celebrated novelist earned the title “The Master.”’ \u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eWorld Literature Today\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Saqi Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51427873751370,"sku":"9780863563751","price":12.7,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0754\/5474\/2858\/files\/TheQuartercover.jpg?v=1753953873","url":"https:\/\/archive-books-berlin.myshopify.com\/products\/the-quarter","provider":"Archive Souq","version":"1.0","type":"link"}