★A collection of works by Naguib Mahfouz, the first Arabic writer to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature and a giant in the Egyptian literary world. His works have been translated and published in more than 20 languages, and several of his works have been introduced and published in China!

★Naguib Mahfouz was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1988. He was the first Arabic-language writer to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, making him the first person from the Arab world to receive the prize.
The reason for the award: "He has developed the art of the Arabic language appreciated by all mankind, through a large number of nuanced works which is insightful realism and evoking ambition

★His novels are regarded by critics as the "tip of the pyramid" of the Arab novel, and he is hailed as the "Father of Arab Literature", representing the pinnacle of contemporary Arab literary creation and artistic standards.

★The English version is presented in translation by several professional translators of Arabic literature.

This feature includes 34 books:
Palace of desire
Palace Walk
Sugar Street
In the Time of Love
The Final Hour
The Coffeehouse
Love in the Rain
Heart of the Night
Morning and Evening Talk
Cairo Modern
Khan al-Khalili
The Mirage
Before the Throne
Midaq Alley
The Thief and the Dogs
Children of the Alley
The Harafish
Miramar
The Beginning and the End
Adrift on the Nile
Autumn Quail
Akhenaten
The Journey of Ibn Fattouma
The Search
Respected Sir
Wedding Song
The Beggar
The Day the Leader Was Killed
The Seventh Heaven
Karnak Café
Dreams of Departure
Voices from the Other World
Three Ancient Egyptian Novels
(Khufu’s wisdom ,Rhadopis of Nubia, Thebes at War)
Echoes of an Autobiography

"Every Cairoan seems to know Mahfouz. He first documented the city's myths and then became a myth itself." —Hsu Chih-Yuan, author and presenter

Who is Naguib Mahfouz?

He is —
•The "Father of Arabic Literature", representing the pinnacle of contemporary Arabic literary creation and artistic standards.
•Winner of the 1988 Nobel Prize for Literature, and the only writer from any Arab country to have won the Nobel Prize for Literature until now.
•He is hailed as "Goethe of Egypt" and his novels are recognized by critics as the "tips of the pyramid" of Arab fiction.

Mahfouz in the eyes of literary critics —
•Arab literary critics consider Mahfouz to be on a par with Tolstoy, Cervantes, Dickens, Balzac and Hugo in terms of literary achievement.
•The London Review of Books described Mahfouz as "not just Hugo and Dickens, but also Goldsworthy, Thomas Mann and Zola."
•The Sunday Times said, "Mahfouz is as good as any European literary master you can name."

Things you should know about Mahfouz—
•Mahfouz's novel “Children of The Alley” was published in 1959 and caused a great deal of controversy. The book was seen as a critique of religious and political ideologies, leading the Egyptian government to ban its publication. However, Mahfouz stood by his work and continued to advocate for freedom of expression. The work won Mahfouz the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1988, but it also generated a new wave of controversy.

•It was due to this work, “Children of The Alley”, that Mahfouz was tragically stabbed in the neck by an extremist in 1994. Although survived, he was in poor condition and unable to write again in his later years. Despite the setbacks, he remains an influential figure who continues to inspire generations of writers and intellectuals.

•Despite his success and acclaim, Mahfouz never left his native Egypt. He always remains true to his roots and writes extensively on Egyptian socio-political issues and cultural differences. His works have been translated into more than twenty languages, making him one of the most popular and influential Arab writers. His stories often explore universal themes of humanity, love, and social justice, resonating with readers of different cultures and backgrounds across the globe.

Why read Mahfouz?
•At Mahfouz's funeral, President Mubarak, then President of Egypt, praised him, saying, "Mahfouz was a cultural light. It was he who brought Arab literature to the world. The standard of values he brought to the multitudes with his creativity was full of enlightening spirit and tolerant character."

•Mahfouz's work has always touched hearts and given voice to voices that cannot be heard. Even after his death, his work continues to give voice. In 1988, in his Nobel Prize acceptance speech, he wrote: "It is inconceivable and unacceptable that the groans of mankind should disappear at this decisive moment in the history of civilization." This statement still holds true today.
His work is considered a revolution in literature, very symbolic and a pure representation of Egyptian society. Through his writing, Mahfouz is trying to show that the meaning of life is to shoulder social responsibility actively; if a member of society takes an attitude that holds himself to a high standard and focuses only on his or her own moral perfection, this in itself is contrary to the code of morality.

Feel the Mahfouz in one sentence—
•"To write, is to pray for the living and for the dead."
•"Home is not the place where you are born, but the end of all your attempts to escape."
•"Fear doesn't stop death, but it can stop our ability to fully embrace life."
•"You can judge a man's intelligence by his answers. You can judge a man's wisdom by his questions."

Book Excerpt:
"Fear doesn't stop death, but it stops our ability to fully embrace life."

"The weak are fools who don't know the secret of their strength."

"Amazingly, what are our neighbors laughing at? They applaud the victors, whoever they may be, and the strong, whoever they may be, and they kneel for the Nababites, thus assuaging the fear that lurks deep within."

★Rights sold: Korean
★"Children of The Alley” has been recognized as the great modern allegorical novel of the twentieth century. Mahfouz won the Nobel Prize for Literature because of this book.
The press release for the Nobel Prize in Literature states, "Children of The Alley” is an extraordinary novel whose main theme is to reflect man's never-ending exploration for spiritual values ... In the conflict between good and evil, different systems of values are tensely confronted."

★The novel is a panoramic, epic story of the salvation of the neighborhood's pioneering old grandfather, Jebalawi, and his generations of descendants.

★“Children of The Alley”, 1959, gave Mahfouz a different kind of "famous". Characters like Adam, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad appear in this parable of human history. The first few chapters were published in Egyptian government newspapers, but were discontinued after strong protests from conservative Islamists. To this day the full text in Arabic in Egypt is not allowed to be printed because conservative Islamists accuse it of blasphemy. The American University in Cairo publishes an English version, and the Arabic version printed in Lebanon is available on the black market.

Children of The Alley reflects on the evolution of human society from the age of the prophets up to the age of science. It delves into the issues of history, destiny, power and truth. It is a blend of realism, symbolism, absurdity and mystery.

Naguib Mahfouz （December 11, 1911-August 29, 2006）
Egyptian writer and one of the most important intellectuals in the Arab world. Mahfouz was sent to a private school at the age of four to study the Koran and receive religious enlightenment education. In 1988, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, the first Arabic-language writer to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, the first in the Arab world to receive the prize, and is regarded by Western scholars as "the Goethe of Egypt". The reason for the award: "He has developed the art of the Arabic language appreciated by all mankind, through a large number of nuanced works which is insightful realism and evoking ambition."

In 1930, Naguib Mahfouz entered the Philosophy Department of the Faculty of Arts at Cairo University, where he was exposed to a variety of democratic and socialist currents in the West, and gradually embraced a number of socialist ideas and scientific perspectives. After graduating from the university in 1934, he stayed in university while writing for a number of philosophical magazines. In the mid-1940s Mahfouz turned to contemporary, more realistic subjects. After “The Three Novels of Ancient Egypt”, he became Egypt's undisputed most prominent writer with “The Cairo Trilogy” (“The Street of the Palaces”, “The Street of the Thousand Palaces”, and “The Street of the Manna”). The trilogy made him world famous. In 1970, he was awarded the Egyptian National Prize for Literature, and in 1988 he was awarded the Order of the Nile, Egypt's highest award. He died on August 30, 2006, at the age of 94 years.