Customer Reviews

Midaq Alley

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Focusing on the lives of the inhabitants of a humble--but not wholly destitute--neighborhood, Nobel laureate Naguib Mahfouz's 1947 novel could be (unfairly) dismissed as "Melrose Place" in Cairo. Yet this is no Grace Metalious soap opera; Western readers will instead find that "Midaq Alley" calls to mind the style of Christopher Isherwood, the plotting of Armistead Maupin, and the characters of Rohinton Mistry. And Trevor La Gassick's superb translation make this a surprisingly fluent, elegant, and humorous yarn.

Although filmed in 1995 as "El Callejón de los milagros," a critically acclaimed Mexican film starring Selma Hayek, this novel has never quite reached the audience it deserves. Like "Tales of the City," "Midaq Alley" follows the interlinking stories of several characters who share little more than aspirations to affluence, romantic entanglements--and an address. The reader is introduced to more than a dozen characters, but the novel spotlights three: the cafe owner Kirsha, a married man who flirts with young men in front of discomfited patrons, neighbors, and friends (not to mention his incensed wife); the fickle, young, beautiful Hamida, who flits from man to man in search of wealth and comfort; and Abbas, who joins the British armed forces to earn enough money to win over Hamida.

Yet other eccentrics from the alley are just as memorable: the horrid Zaita, who serves as tyrant over the local beggars he has "fashioned" by unusual means (and whose demeanor and methods are astonishingly similar to Mr. Beggarmaster from Mistry's "A Fine Balance," written 50 years later); Mrs. Saniya Afifi, a widow who undergoes cut-rate cosmetic dentistry to win over a new husband--and then is horrified by the hush-hush source of her new dentures; and the suave, slick, duplicitous Ibrahim Faraj, a stranger to the alley who spirits Hamida away from her home into a world of extravagance and debauchery she never imagined possible.

In the background is World War II, which ironically presents inhabitants of the alleys with the prospect of advancement in the "outside" world--an opportunity that proves both short-lived and elusive. Scratch below the surface, and you'll find a morality tale about the ultimate displeasure that materialism brings to those who worship it. Yet Mahfouz avoids didacticism when presenting his themes, opting instead for a light-hearted objectivity that brings the residents of Midaq Alley to life.

As a Senior in High School I have read my fair share of novels. The beginning of the novel was a little confusing, but after the first few chapters it became a captivating book based on many people's lives in an alley in Cairo. I have never before read a novel that was written like this one was. It jumps from story to story of the diffent characters, where at first they seem to have nothing to do with any other, but when you reach the end you understand how the stories intertwine. Once I started reading this book, I couldn't put it down. I was fascinated by the streets of Cairo from Mahfouz's writing style and descriptions. It makes me want to read more of Mahfouz's works. Also I want to learn more about Cairo's "alleys". It is a great and fascinating book to read.

This novel is the perfect distillation of Mafouz' brilliance as a writer. A slice-of-life in Midaq Alley, the characters are carefully wrought and distinct, complete with idiosyncrasies. From Uum Hamida, who brokers a marriage for the well-heeled Mrs. Saniya Afify, to Zaitas the cripple-maker, each has a role in the tapestry of life as lived in the alley.

Like the Cairo Trilogy, Mafouz creates his own rhythm and style while adapting the novel format, one not commonly found in Arabic literature when he began writing novels. His plot revolves around the denizens of Midaq Alley and their every day yearnings for happiness, love and prosperity. Whether you are familiar with this author, or this is your first Mafouz novel, it is an excellent example of the unique talent that allows the reader an intimate view of the characters common to this man's vast insight into humanity.

I had to read this for a world literature class in college and loved it so much, I bought ALL of Mahfouz's books! He is amazing and this book is a great story. I grew up in the Middle East and this book read like some of the Arabic soap operas on TV! Mahfouz is a wonderful story teller and his books provide rich cultural insight into the lives of men and women in Egypt.

This book is among the best by Mahfouz, one of the world's best authors. There is too much lost in translation, but with just a basic understanding of the Middle East and of Mahfouz, I believe that can be overcome.

The main character of this book is really the alley itself. Mahfouz brings togther its inhabitants and weaves an involving tale of love, hope, faith and the effects of Western imperialism. But in the end, life in the alley just goes on, and in this Mahfouz affirms the beauty of life as we live it every day.

This book was an excellent and not-too-difficult read. I say not too difficult because I read the entire thing on my morning and evening commute over two weeks. The narration really brings the reader into Midaq Alley, to a point where one feels like they too are peering at every character through window shades and evesdropping on conversations in the cafe. The plight of the main female character is reminiscent of Sister Carrie. Like Carrie, she is a character that one can neither like nor detest. I enjoyed this book and I look forward to reading more of Mahfouz's work.

Naguib Mahfouz's Midaq Alley is a fictional novel which focuses on the lives of the inhabitants of a neighborhood alley in the heart of Cairo during World War II. Told in a soap opera fashion, Mahfouz introduces the readers to nearly 12 main characters with 7 side characters. With so many characters present, it is easily noticeable that the main literary element Mahfouz employs in Midaq Alley is characterization; and thus all of the characters are crucial to the story's plot.

The main conflict within the story lies in between a struggle between those who dream of leaving the alley for a "more prosperous life" and those who are more than content with staying in the alley forever. This is highlighted between Hamida's desire to become rich and powerful and Abbas' desire to marry Hamida. Abbas, who is a poor barber in the alley, wishes to court Hamida; however, she is not interested until he decides to go work for the British Army just to please her, which was very lucrative during World War II. However, Hamida would not remain content for long as her desire for power was too great, this desire and greed would take Hamida down a path that would not only bare consequences for her, but also for those who loved and cared for her. A side struggle which followed along this same motif was between that of Kirsha, the pedophiliac café owner, and his son, Hussein Kirsha. Hussein Kirsha decides to leave his house because of his immense disgust towards the alley in which his father denounces him. Hussein Kirsha believes that the British Army will forever lucratively support him; however, World War II will soon come to an end and the alley beckons.

However, Midaq Alley does not just focus on this motif with many side stories constantly emerging throughout the novel. From Salim Alwan, the rich business man who believes that his health will forever last him, to Zaita, the scum who controls the beggars of the Hussein district in Cairo and helps people become crippled, to Dr. Booshy, the dentist who has no real license and suspiciously attains gold dentures at low prices. In the end, Mahfouz ingeniously ties all the stories together for a heart-racing climax. A great work, one that should be in the library of all Mahfouz fans, and those who aren't.

Having read the other reviews, just wanted to add a mention of Mahfouz's style as one of a unusual music, which may be strenuous to some but is an enchantment if you get into it. Bravo to the translator !

Regardless of the poor translation (the one I read by Trevor Le Gassick) this was still immensely enjoyable, the characters shone through and the scene descriptions are so rich I felt like I was there, it was just written (or translated) in such a stilted way that it felt like English was definitely not the narrator's first language. I had previously read the Cairo trilogy, the story of several generations of a family, Midaq Alley is quite different, a soap opera about the people of the alley set over a short period of time, fast paced and very funny at times despite the bleak lives of the characters.

The setting is WWII, a generally prosperous time for the people in this story, some content with life in the alley, and others more ambitious dreaming of nothing but escape. Strong characters with interconnected stories draw the reader into their lives - Kirsha the cafe owner with young male lovers, Hamida who is lured into prostitution, fat Uncle Kamil and his sweet shop, Abbas the barber who joins the army just for money to win a bride, Zaita the beggar and grave robber who performs surgery for a fee to create other beggars, Mrs. Saniya Afifi who will pay anything to a marriage broker to get herself a young husband, and several others with stories of their own to tell.

I enjoy books that expose me to totally different cultures and ways human beings adapt to what life throws at them. Midaq Alley was a journey to another time and the other side of the world.

Readers will sense the "darkness" that is "enclosed like a trap" as they turn the pages of Midaq Alley. Mahfouz exploits his characters through vivid descriptions. For instance, Uncle Kamil's "legs" that are "like tree trunks" and "his behind" is "rounded like the dome of a mosque" not only puts a physical image to the man, but posits him into the Muslim culture. Mahfouz is clever in his depiction of Midaq Alley, a small part of Old Cairo. He juxtaposes the reality of the British occupation in the bigger picture while focusing on the narrative of simple, middle-class Egyptians who struggle for their identity and hope for survival. Hamida desperately tries to escape her cage, claiming that "everyone in this alley is half dead;" however, she is met with a similar fate when she emerges into the outside world, entrapped into a prison of prostitution. Her "yearning for power centered on her love for money" and she pays the ultimate price with her dignity in "the streets of illicit love." The real genius of Naguib Mahfouz is evident in this novel; it invites the reader into a culture that depicts a social reality of mid 20th century Cairo.