Naguib Mahfouz

Generally regarded as modern Egypt's leading literary figure, Naguib Mahfouz was the first Arabic-language author awarded the Nobel Prize in literature. Critics hail Mahfouz for his ability to capture the essence of Cairene culture and life. This book illuminates how Naguib Mahfouz has successfully used the elements of daily life to capture the reality of his generation amidst the political upheaval caused in part by the British occupation of Egypt. This study also goes beyond opening up the Egyptian world to the reader; it is a careful analysis of the major novels of Mahfouz's career from an ambiguous feminist perspective. The author selects the term ambiguous deliberately to signify the disparity between a Western and Islamic lens. By employing this approach, the author successfully shows how the characters are not only entrapped in cages of subservience, but also cleverly reveals how the reader of Mahfouz's work is often entrapped in cages of misunderstanding. As the first scholarly study on Mahfouz's work through a highly original interdisciplinary Western and Eastern feminist lens, this book is a critical addition for collections in Literature, Middle Eastern Studies, and Women's Studies.