Palace Walk
Naguib Mahfouz · 1911–2006 · Egypt
Originally Bayn al-Qasrayn (Arabic) · translated by William Maynard Hutchins and Olive E. Kenny
Why it matters
The tyrannical al-Sayyid Ahmad rules his Cairo household by day and carouses by night, as the 1919 revolution stirs outside. The Cairo Trilogy opens here: the Arabic novel's foundational family saga.
At a glance
family sagahistorical fiction
Difficulty 4/10medium pace498 pagesLeisurely realist prose and a large household cast, but linear and clearly narrated.
Deep dive
How one household's iron routines quietly rehearse the politics erupting in the streets outside its walls, and what breaks first.
Where to go next
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Alaa Al Aswany · 2002The Yacoubian BuildingLvl 4Fast paced