THE HARAFISH by Mahfouz, Naguib - 2006

American University, 2006. Paperback. Very Good. Winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1988, Naguib Mahfouz is perhaps the best-known living Arab writer. His books have had great success in thi s country, particularly The Cairo Trilogy. Fans of the famed trilogy will b e delighted with The Harafish, an epic novel that chronicles the dramatic h istory of the al-Nagi family -- a family that moves, over many generations, from the height of power and glory to the depths of decadence and decay. T he Harafish begins with the tale of Ashur al-Nagi, a man who grows from hum ble beginnings to become a great leader, a legend among his people. Generat ion after generation, however, Ashur's descendants grow further from his le gendary example. They lose touch with their origins as they amass and then squander large fortunes, marry prostitutes when they marry at all, and deve lop rivalries that end in death. The community's upper class keeps a watchf ul eye on the descendants of al-Nagi for fear of losing their privileges, b ut they find no threat of another such as Ashur. Not, that is, until the al -Nagi who, like his noble ancestor, finds his power once again from among T he Harafish, or the common people. Through the strength of their numbers an d their passion, the glory of the name of al-Nagi is restored. "Of all [Mah fouz's] experiments in recent decades, this is the one which owes least to western inspiration and is probably the most successful. The Harafish, flue ntly translated by Catherine Cobham, makes accessible and engrossing readin g." -- The Washington Post Book World.