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The Harafish
  
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The Harafish (Paperback)

by Najib Mahfuz (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 416 pages
  • Publisher: Doubleday; New edition edition (8 Jun 1995)
  • ISBN-10: 0385405839
  • ISBN-13: 978-0385405836
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 1,528,219 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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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.

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78% buy the item featured on this page:
The Harafish 5.0 out of 5 stars (4)
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Customer Reviews

4 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
5.0 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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

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