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Reading just one of Mahfouz’s novels is never enough. His style and genius are infectious, and the reader feels compelled to read more of his masterpieces. Mahmoud El-Wardani, who compiled a guide to publications for Al-Ahram magazine in December 2003, attributes the popularity of Mahfouz’s books to their “compelling dialogue, [and] credible three-dimensional characters that have an inner as well as an outer life and a tightly constructed, relevant plot.” These features, mixed with the cultural significance of Egypt’s urban centers, especially Mahfouz’s alley, heighten the reader’s respect for the author’s ability to evoke a vivid sense of Cairene life of the early to mid-twentieth century. Interestingly, Edward Said, in his introduction to Culture and Imperialism, asserts “In time, culture comes to be associated, often aggressively, with the nation or the state; this differentiates ‘us’ from ‘them,’ almost always with some degree of xenophobia” (xiii). This perhaps encapsulates the sentiment I wanted to express as I proceeded with my research and textual analysis of Mahfouz’s novels. We humans often fear what we do not understand, and we easily point a finger at the Other and see something different. Different from what? From the center? Then we must ask who represents the center. A careful consideration tells us that the center depends on the perspective.
This is a book about how one writer has successfully used elements of daily life to capture the reality of his generation amid political upheaval, caused in part by the British occupation of Egypt. However, this book also strives for more. It carefully analyzes the major novels of Mahfouz’s career from an ambiguous feminist perspective. I use the word ambiguous to signify the disparity between a Western and Islamic lens. Through this approach, the reader will realize how not only the characters are entrapped in cages of subservience, but also readers of Mahfouz are trapped in cages of misunderstanding. Added to this, is the impressive use of metaphoric language, which augments, even in translation, the depth of Mahfouz’s writing. One specific scene above all others has burned a permanent image in my mind: the scene from Midaq Alley when Hamida has left her oppressive home only to enter a new form of oppression in prostitution. Here Mahfouz uses sexual imagery to personify night as a stranger. Mahfouz’s words plunge the reader into a scene of sexual foreplay while the author coyly continues his discourse, and with no mention of sex he takes the scene through to its metamorphosis.