Meet the people of Cairo’s Gamaliya quarter. There is Nabqa, son of Adam, the water seller 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.
This 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.
About the Author
Naguib Mahfouz, Egypt’s foremost writer with a career that lasted more than five decades, wrote 34 novels, 13 short story anthologies, numerous plays and 30 screenplays. Mahfouz received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1988, making him the first writer in Arabic to do so.
About the Translator
Roger Allen was the first student to obtain a doctoral degree in modern Arabic literature from Oxford University in 1968, and has translated the seminal works of key contemporary authors such as Jabra Ibrahim Jabra, Yusuf Idris, May Telmissany, Ahmad al-Tawfiq and Hanan al-Shaykh.
About the Publisher
Saqi Books is a leading independent publisher of trade and academic books on the Middle East and North Africa with two imprints: Westbourne Press is committed to releasing engaging works that offer an alternative, progressive perspective on the leading issues of our time, and Telegram publishes new and classic international writing.
