Naguib Mahfouz - Nobel Prize in Literature, 1988 (56 books)

* Naguib Mahfouz - Nobel Prize in Literature, 1988 (56 books)

NAGUIB MAHFOUZ (1911–2006) was an Egyptian novelist, playwright and screenwriter who stands as one of the most prominent figures in modern Arabic literature. Mahfouz spent his life capturing the essence of Cairo's city's bustling alleys, historical transformations, and diverse social strata. His writing style evolved from historical romances to gritty realism, experimental modernism, and mystical allegory, mirroring the political and cultural shifts of 20th-century Egypt. In 1988 he became the first (and still only) writer in Arabic to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.  The prize citation praised Mahfouz "who, through works rich in nuance—now clear-sightedly realistic, now evocatively ambiguous—has formed an Arabian narrative art that applies to all mankind."

Mahfouz's early fiction laid the groundwork for modern Arabic realism by mapping the physical and psychological geography of Cairo. Before publishing his acclaimed contemporary social dramas, he initially set out to write a massive 30-novel historical cycle about ancient Egypt. Though he abandoned the grand plan, this era yielded powerful historical allegories like KHUFU'S WISDOM (1939), RHADOPIS OF NUBIA (1943), and THEBES AT WAR (1944). These early texts used pharaonic settings to subtly critique modern British colonial rule and the failings of the Egyptian monarchy. As he pivoted to contemporary settings, works like KHAN AL-KHALILI (1945) and MIDAQ ALLEY (1947) transformed the winding alleys of Islamic Cairo into micro-cosmic stages.

This realism culminated in his masterpiece, the Cairo Trilogy , which comprises PALACE WALK (1956), PALACE OF DESIRE (1957), and SUGAR STREET (1957). This monumental series follows three generations of a middle-class Cairo family, illustrating the clash between traditional religious values and modern secularism, while simultaneously documenting Egypt's painful birth into modernity. The trilogy proved that the Arabic novel could match the psychological depth of European realists like Dickens, Balzac, and Tolstoy.

Following a period of creative silence, Mahfouz transitioned toward philosophical, symbolic, and experimental fiction. His controversial novel CHILDREN OF GEBELAWI (1959), a sweeping allegory that reimagines the stories of Adam, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad, and modern science in a rough Cairo neighborhood. The book angered religious authorities at Al-Azhar, leading to an official ban in Egypt that stood for decades and later sparked a near-fatal extremist knife attack against Mahfouz in 1994. Other major works from this mature period include THE THIEF AND THE DOGS (1961), a stream-of-consciousness existential thriller about betrayal, and MIRAMAR (1967), which uses multiple narrators to dissect political disillusionment.

In his later decades, Mahfouz moved away from Western narrative structures, turning instead to classic Arabic storytelling traditions, folklore, and Sufi mysticism. THE HARAFISH (1977) is a multi-generational epic tracking the rise and fall of a mythical clan, which cemented his status as a legendary cultural storyteller. ARABIAN NIGHTS AND DAYS (1979) serves as a philosophical sequel to the traditional One Thousand and One Nights, exploring the psychological guilt of Sultan Shahryar and the corrupting nature of political power. He adopted the structure of a classic Islamic travelogue in THE JOURNEY OF IBN FATTOUMA (1983), sending its protagonist through various allegorical lands to find the ideal system of government.

While universally celebrated for his fiction, Mahfouz also maintained a disciplined, lifelong commitment to non-fiction, journalism, and public intellectualism. His deeply personal thoughts are collected in ECHOES OF AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY (1994), which presents dreamlike vignettes and aphorisms reflecting on aging, memory, and spirituality. Mahfouz's journalism has been compiled into the four-volume series THE NON-FICTION OF NAGUIB MAHFOUZ (2016–2020) from Gingko publishers, highlighting his sharp political and social commentary. Through both his imaginative tales and his analytical prose available in English, Mahfouz created an enduring intellectual legacy that continues to define Arabic letters on the global stage.


The following books are in ePUB and/or PDF format as indicated:

== NOVELS ==

* Adrift on the Nile [tr. Liardet] (Anchor, 2016) – ePUB
* Akhenaten: Dweller in Truth [tr. Abu-Hassabo] (Anchor, 2008) – ePUB
* Arabian Nights and Days [tr. Johnson-Davies] (Anchor, 2016) – ePUB
* Autumn Quail [tr. Allen, revised Rodenbeck] (Anchor, 2016) – ePUB / PDF
* Before the Throne [tr. Stock] (Anchor, 2012) – ePUB
* The Beggar [tr. Henry & al-Warraki] (Anchor, 1990) – ePUB / PDF
* The Beggar; The Thief and the Dogs; Autumn [tr. Henry et al.] (Anchor, 2000) – ePUB
* The Beginning and the End [tr. Awad] (Anchor, 2016) – ePUB
* Cairo Modern [tr. Hutchins] (Anchor, 2011) – ePUB
* Cairo Trilogy [tr. Hutchins et al.] (Everymans Library, 2001) – ePUB
* Children of Gebelaawi [tr. Stewart] (Passeggiata, 1995) – PDF
* Children of the Alley [tr. Theroux] (Anchor, 1996) – ePUB / PDF
* The Coffeehouse [tr. Stock] (AUC, 2013) – ePUB
* The Day the Leader Was Killed [tr. Mashem] (Anchor, 2000) – ePUB / PDF
* The Final Hour [tr. Allen] (AUC, 2010) – ePUB / PDF
* Fountain and Tomb [tr. Sobhy et al.] (Three Continents, 1988) – ePUB/ PDF
* The Harafish [tr. Cobham] (Vintage, 1995) – ePUB / PDF
* Heart of the Night [tr. Bamia] (AUC, 2013) – ePUB
* In the Time of Love [tr. Heikkinen] (AUC, 2013) – ePUB / PDF
* Journey of Ibn Fattouma [tr. Johnson-Davies] (Anchor, 1993) – ePUB
* Karnak Café [tr. Allen] (Anchor, 2008) – ePUB
* Khan Al-Khalili [tr. Allen] (Anchor, 2011) – ePUB
* Khufu's Wisdom: A Novel of Ancient Egypt [tr. Stock] (Anchor, 2005) – ePUB
* Love in the Rain [tr. Roberts] (AUC, 2013) – ePUB / PDF
* Midaq Alley [tr. Le Gassick] (Anchor, 2016) – ePUB
* The Mirage [tr. Roberts] (Anchor, 2012) – ePUB
* Miramar [tr. Mahmoud] (Three Continents, 1990) – PDF
* Miramar [tr. Mahmoud, ed. Kommos & Rodenbeck] (Anchor, 2016) – ePUB
* Mirrors [tr. Allen] (Bibliotheca Islamica, 1977) – PDF
* Morning and Evening Talk [tr. Phillips] (Anchor, 2009) – ePUB
* Palace of Desire: The Cairo Trilogy II [tr. Hutchins et al.] (Anchor, 2011) – ePUB / PDF
* Palace Walk: The Cairo Trilogy I [tr. Hutchins & Kenny] (Anchor, 2011) – ePUB / PDF
* Respected Sir [tr. El-Enany] (Anchor, 2016) – ePUB / PDF
* Respected Sir; Wedding Song; The Search [tr. El-Enany et al.] (Anchor, 2001) – ePUB
* Rhadopis of Nubia [tr. Calderbank] (Anchor, 2005) – ePUB
* The Search [tr. Islam] (Anchor, 1991 / AUC, 1987) – ePUB / PDF
* Sugar Street: The Cairo Trilogy III [tr. Hutchins & Samaan] (Anchor, 2011) – ePUB / PDF
* Thebes at War [tr. Davies] (Anchor, 2005) – ePUB
* The Thief and the Dogs [tr. Le Gassick et al.] (Anchor, 2016) – ePUB
* Three Novels of Ancient Egypt [tr. Stock] (Everyman's Library, 2008) – ePUB
* Wedding Song [tr. Kenny et al.] (Anchor, 2016) – ePUB / PDF

== SHORT FICTION ==

* The Dreams [tr. Stock] (Anchor, 2009) – ePUB
* I Found Myself . . . The Last Dreams [tr. Matar] (New Directions, 2025) – ePUB
* The Mummy Awakens [tr. Stock] (Anchor, 2016) – ePUB
* The Quarter [tr. Allen] (Saki, 2019) – ePUB
* The Seventh Heaven: Supernatural Stories [tr. Stock] (Anchor, 2010) – ePUB
* The Time and Place & Other Stories [tr. Johnson-Davies] (Anchor, 2016) – ePUB / PDF
* Voices from the Other World [tr. Stock] (Anchor, 2007) – ePUB

== PLAYS ==

* One-Act Plays 1 [tr. Selaiha] (General Egyptian Book Organization, 1989) – PDF

== NON-FICTION ==

* After the Nobel Prize, 1989-1994 [tr. Hewison] (Gingko, 2020) – ePUB
* The Early Mubarak Years, 1982–1988 [tr. Harris] (Gingko, 2020) – PDF
* Echoes of an Autobiography [tr. Johnson-Davies] (Anchor, 1998) – ePUB / PDF
* The Meaning of Civilisation: Essays on Culture, Religion and Politics [tr. Byrne & Harris] (Speaking Tiger, 2017) – ePUB
* Naguib Mahfouz at Sidi Gaber: Reflections of a Nobel Laureate, 1994–2001 (AUC, 2001) – PDF
* On Literature and Philosophy [tr. Byrne] (Gingko, 2016) – ePUB

== OTHER ==

* Life's Wisdom: From the Works of the Nobel Laureate [tr. Serour] (AUC, 2006) – PDF


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