4 used & new from £47.19
See All Buying Options
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
 
The Harafish
  
Publisher: learn how customers can search inside this book.

The Harafish (Paperback)

by Najib Mahfuz (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.


1 new from £58.84 3 used from £47.19
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Hardcover 11 used & new from £1.18
Paperback (Anchor Books ed) £15.95 £14.36 24 used & new from £1.87

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Midaq Alley

Midaq Alley

by Naguib Mahfouz
4.7 out of 5 stars (6)  £6.57
The Yacoubian Building

The Yacoubian Building

by Alaa Al Aswany
3.7 out of 5 stars (26)  £4.93
The Beginning and the End

The Beginning and the End

by Naguib Mahfouz
4.5 out of 5 stars (4)  £8.71
Palace Walk (The Cairo Trilogy)

Palace Walk (The Cairo Trilogy)

by Naguib Mahfouz
4.0 out of 5 stars (21)  £6.99
Palace of Desire (The Cairo Trilogy)

Palace of Desire (The Cairo Trilogy)

by Naguib Mahfouz
4.8 out of 5 stars (5)  £6.97
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 416 pages
  • Publisher: Doubleday & Co Inc.; New edition edition (8 Jun 1995)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0385405839
  • ISBN-13: 978-0385405836
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 1,504,115 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Product Description

Product Description

Written by a Nobel Prize-winner, this is a mythic tale with a modern, soap-opera-like plot, featuring the dramatic history of the al-Nagi family. It displays the weaknesses of the human character - pride, dishonesty, lust, greed - and of the greatness we are capable of when we overcome them.

Tag this product

 (What's this?)
Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items.
Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Harafish
59% buy the item featured on this page:
The Harafish 5.0 out of 5 stars (5)
Palace of Desire (The Cairo Trilogy)
13% buy
Palace of Desire (The Cairo Trilogy) 4.8 out of 5 stars (5)
£6.97
Midaq Alley
12% buy
Midaq Alley 4.7 out of 5 stars (6)
£6.57
The Yacoubian Building
9% buy
The Yacoubian Building 3.7 out of 5 stars (26)
£4.93
Explore similar items
 

Customer Reviews

5 Reviews
5 star:
 (5)
4 star:    (0)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
5.0 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars You'll wish this book never had to end., 3 Jan 1997
By A Customer
This review is from: The Harafish (Paperback)
"Harafish" means "rabble" or "poor" in Cairene, and this book traces the lineage of a harafish family. From the moment that Ashur Al-Nagi is discovered as an infant by a blind holy man to his metaphysical return generations later, the story weaves the magic of everyday life into the fabric of human psychology. Each character seems so real that you'll feel as though you, too, were part of the Al-Nagi family. The story is as bittersweet as it is gentle, and it is an excellent introduction to the work of this Nobel-winning author.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A GREAT story from a BRILLIANT Writer !!!, 4 Jun 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: The Harafish (Paperback)
One of the world's finest writers tracks the lineage of one Egyptian family through time beginning with Ashur Al-Nagi, a giant of a man with the elements of TRUE greatness. He becomes the greatest clan chieftain in memory. As generations go by, fewer of his virtues are passed along, while his flaws become ever-more prominent in his descendants. The pursuit of a Paradise Lost consumes his descendants for generations as they lose and sporadically regain their influence in the area. Mr. Mahfouz does throw dozens of inconsequential characters at the reader, but there are more than enough extremely interesting ones in brilliant life-stories to more than compensate and quide you through time. So much so that I had to tear myself away from it because I often found that I could not put it down. A first-class novel.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A magical, picaresque story excellently told, 13 Aug 2001
This review is from: The Harafish (Paperback)
My first encounter with Mahfouz, "The Harafish" is a magical, picaresque novel weaving complex stories of teeming life in the backalleys of Cairo. While the timescale of the book covers generations and hundreds of years, time itself seems to stand still. Little of the 'outside world' intrudes on the characters or their universe. Mahfouz is a gifted storyteller and this book reminded me of Gabriel Garcia Marquez' "One Hundred Years of Solitude". Funny, sexy and colourful, "The Harafish" has definitely placed Mahfouz high on my list of writers to explore further.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book, that makes you use your head
I thought this was a great book. This is one of those books, that you must think about, while you read it. There is so many things going on that you never get bored with it. Read more
Published on 16 Feb 1999

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Look for similar items by subject













i.e., each product must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback

Ad

Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.