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The novel opens with a tragic event, the death of a child, that in many ways sets the scene for what is to come. Morning and Evening Talk is a tale of endings and cruel twists of fate: children die before their parents; husbands perish, leaving families to struggle on meager means; and characters see their fortunes reversed overnight as their party or patron falls out of favor, or when war and other events over which they have no control appear out of nowhere. Yet the book is not without hope, for the corollary of sudden downfall is swift ascent-the July Revolution may be bad news for Halim, Hamid, and Hasan, but for Abduh, Mahir, and Hakim, it brings promotion and fortune, even if such things tend to be transitory in Mahfouz's world. Moreover, the eccentric person of Radia, and the friends.h.i.+p and humor that punctuate the narrative, are evidence enough that the indomitable spirit of Egypt lives on in the modern era, unscathed by all the change and upheaval.
Like many of Mahfouz's novels, Morning and Evening Talk is also a search. It is a journey through the homes, cafes, offices, and other haunts of the everyday Egyptian, watching and listening carefully in order to a.s.sess whether Egypt is better off now than it was back in 1798. It would be disingenuous to suggest there is a simple answer to such a question, and Mahfouz is certainly too wise to imply one. Instead he paints a vivid picture of Egypt over several generations and leaves readers to make up their own minds.
I would like to thank Feras Hamza, Philip Stewart, and Sabry Hafez for their invaluable help.
Christina Phillips.
THE FOLLOWING t.i.tLES BY NAGUIB MAHFOUZ ARE ALSO PUBLISHED BY ANCHOR BOOKS:.
The Beggar, The Thief and the Dogs, Autumn Quail.
(omnibus edition).
Respected Sir, Wedding Song, The Search.
(omnibus edition)
The Beginning and the End.
The Time and the Place and Other Stories
Midaq Alley
The Journey of Ibn Fattouma.
Miramar
Adrift on the Nile.
The Harafish
Arabian Nights and Days.
Children of the Alley
Echoes of an Autobiography.
The Day the Leader Was Killed.
Akhenaten, Dweller in Truth.
Voices from the Other World.
Khufu's Wisdom.
Rhadopis of Nubia.
Thebes at War.
Seventh Heaven.
The Thief and the Dogs.
Karnak Cafe.
The Cairo Trilogy.
Palace Walk.
Palace of Desire.
Sugar Street.
