Review - Midaq Alley by Naguib Mahfouz

Once again, I experienced the gratitide of being in the hands of a master storyteller. Like a Brueghel painting of villagers seated at a long wooden table, Mahfouz paints a cast of characters who are neighbors in a 1940's Cairo alley.

Mainly it's the story of men and women, power struggles between husband and wife, of families, of intertwined relationships, of loyalties and of betrayals. Life centers around Kirsha's cafe where men gather to smoke the water pipes and to socialize. Drug addiction, homosexuality, greed, lust, prostitution, grave robbery, husband beating, matchmaking, even the making of cripples for beggary are explored. And yet there is a deference to God"s will, to destiny, to the goodness of the prophet which is endearing.

The scene which captivated me the most was the seduction of Hamida into the ranks of prostitution by a man of extreme persuation, seduction, and stealth. Mahfouz weaves an erotic net into which the reader is also ensnared.

Telling us what a character thinks but does not say gives added depth to his characterization - Unlike our modern writers, Mahfouz does a lot of telling - he tells us the character's strengths, weaknesses, and yearnings. But somehow, this fails to detract. The story moves along at a fast clip - the generational struggles come off with authenticity.

The good, the bad, the deceived, the cunning are all painted with strokes of compassion for our shared human struggle.

Characters:

Kirsha -

Abbas -

Hamida -

Zaita -

Uncle Kamil -

Sheikh Darwish -

Radwan Hussainy -

Saniya Afify -

Umm Hamida -

Salim Alwan -

Hussain Kirsha -

Dr. Booshy -

Husniya - bakeress

Jaada -

Ibrahim Faraj -

Favorite Scenes -

Seduction of Hamida - taxi

Return of Hussain with bride and her brother

Hussain leaves his father's house - electricity

Sweet love between Abbas and Uncle Kamil

Wife battles with Kirsha in cafe and confronts his young man