Customer Reviews

Palace of Desire (The Cairo Trilogy)

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Although published as a trilogy, Mahfouz' story of a Cairo family was originally written as a single novel. "Palace of Desire" is one-third out of roughly the middle of it. The time is now the 1920s, and the focus is chiefly on three characters, the father, Al-Sayyid Ahmad, and his two sons, Yasin and Kamal. Desire as a theme runs strongly through the entire trilogy, and it emerges here in three very different ways. The older man feels the beginnings of age interfere with his extramarital dalliances and his life of nightly good fellowship with friends and female company. The older of his two sons is a heedless Don Juan, bored with his wives soon after he marries them. The younger son experiences his first true love and is tormented night and day, first by her teasing interest in him and then in the discovery of her real feelings. Meanwhile, there is a kind of high comedy in the ongoing conflicts between the father's two daughters and their mother-in-law.

Mahfouz also explores class differences in this part of his story, where Kamal, the younger son, is introduced through a school friend to a wealthy, westernized family. His coming of age, loss of innocence, and discovery of a world very different from the sheltered life he has known make this part of the story especially poignant. References to the changing political climate in post-WWI Egypt reflect the theme of national independence from British dominance that Mahfouz has followed from the beginning of the trilogy. Altogether, Mahfouz' family saga, with its interwoven threads of related storylines is a joy to read.

It's tough to think of Palace of Desire as a stand-alone book. It wouldn't make any sense outside of the context of the trilogy that it's a part of. A reader would be lost if he simply picked this off the shelf and started reading without having read Palace Walk. And likewise, you would feel unsatisfied if you stopped at the end of this book instead of continuing on with the final installment of the trilogy.

Of course, no one (least of all the author) would argue that point. This was all meant to be one book from the start, and that's pretty obvious. But since there aren't all that many people out there with the patience to read an eleven-hundred-page book....well, that's why this is three books and not one huge one.

Part two of the trilogy is just as fascinating as part one. Each of the characters is up to his same old tricks. Yasin is getting married, and divorced, and married again, and still visiting prostitutes - sometimes the same ones that his dad is visiting. Kamal is enrolling in the Teachers' School, against his father's wishes, and starting to lose his faith in religion as he learns more about science, philosophy, and the world around him. And throughout it all, Egypt is portrayed as a country very much in transition. The traditional elements of society are precariously juxtaposed against the liberal forces of change. And this inevitably causes sparks to fly.

It's easy to see why Mahfouz was awarded the Nobel Prize. He's more than just a great writer; he's also an eloquent voice speaking on behalf of a fascinating country in a fascinating time.

A marvellous sequel to "Palace Walk". It's a book about love, religion, despair, love, life and love once more. Moreover, the Kamal character gives signs of young Mahfouz who passed first half of his life unmarried. The best and most disturbing Mahfouz novel I've ever read.

I do consulting in the refining and petrochemical industries and have, as a result, struck up several friendships with Arabs and Arab-Americans working in those facilities. Once I asked several acquaintances if there were are well-regarded Arab writers with good English translations available that could help me as an American better understand the modern Arab experience and worldview. Several recommended The Cairo trilogy (Palace Walk, Palace of Desire, Sugar Street) by Naguib Mahfouz. It covers a time period that would provide an excellent overview into 20th century Arab experience both politically and socially, especially vis-à-vis Arab/Western interaction. It is a family saga and therefore provides a good view of modern Arab family life and the affects modernization has had on it. It's urban setting and action would be more familiar to Americans than a more rural tale. The books are written from a genuinely Arabic sensibility language-wise-a sensibility not overly degraded by translation. And, finally, it would be a "less difficult" introduction to Arabic culture than other possibilities.

It should be noted that "less difficult" is not that same as "easy" or "easier". This marks an important distinction, one underscored by these books. Arabic language, society and sensibilities are colored much more by nuances and multiple permutations on a few basic themes than is true in Western society.

Naguib Mahfouz is a Nobel Prize-winning Egyptian novelist who adeptly and adroitly captures these nuances and evokes a genuine feel for-if not true understanding of-their intrinsic roots within the Arabic weltanschauung.

Clearly, based on the reviews to date for this book, there are many who have difficulty with this dynamic. These are the folks who probably are unable to split hairs and see the distinction between "less difficult" and "easier". If you are that sort of person I have to say quite honestly that you are going to be both frustrated and bored by this book or any of the series.

If you are the sort who relishes a challenge, truly wants to try to get a feel for and understand Arabic social and political views and don't mind putting a bit of effort into that undertaking, you will find reading any or all of these books a rewarding experience indeed.

As a college teacher trying to help American students to understand why we are not universally popular in the Middle East, I have found that fiction works better than any number of cogent analyses of Shariah or Militant Fundatmentalism. What is required--and this is really no surprise--is an honest effort to enter the minds and hearts of a culture not our own. The novels of Mahfouz are absolutely invaluable, and particularly this centerpiece of the trilogy, in which modernization (i.e., the encroachment of Western values, the reaction against them, the struggle for a Western-style nation state: all these are illuminated on these pages.

In this, the second novel of the Cairo Trilogy (although I hesitate to call it that, since I now see the "trilogy" more as a novel in its entirety, which is what Mahfouz apparently preferred it to be), the movement of the narrative is more toward introspection, as we enter the mind of the youngest member of the family, Kamal. Kamal is a philosophically and romantically minded young man, an idealist who wants to be a teacher in spite of his father's strong opposition and the fact that the profession he seeks to enter gets little respect from his friends and the society in which he lives. His openness to the new ideas (such as evolution) stands in direct opposition to his father's staunch defense of the old ways and the old religious beliefs.

While sometimes I found the narrative a bit slow (too much of Kamal's ruminations on the nature of love, for example), I still enjoyed this section of the saga. I got a feel for Mahfouz' world view and a further education on the Middle Eastern mind. Egypt continues in a turmoil which parallels that of the young Kamal. Europe beckons, taking his best friend from him. The Western Influence is a source of pain and curiosity at the same time. More and more the reader comes to see why the Middle East views the West with scepticism and scorn.

Kamal's father begins to slide into infirmity, losing physical strength but not inner passion, and the family will soon no doubt have to deal with the problems related to the possible loss of its patriarch.

As always, well written, compelling narrative, for the most part. I will continue to complete the trilogy by reading "Sugar Street." This family saga is one I want to complete.

The family saga continues in book 2 of the Cairo trilogy, this time with Kamal as a main focus, his earlier childhood devotion to religion has been rejected and he has become a "seeker after truth" searching for meaning in life. It appears Kamal has been modeled after Mahfouz himself, and it is often through Kamal's eyes that we view the other characters in this story.

If you enjoyed the "Palace Walk" then "Palace of Desire" is a must read. As the title implies this book is about love & desire, albeit Islamic style. There are some hilarious scenes such as when the father discovers his mistress is cheating on him with his son or when the brothers meet in a brothel. The sisters are not forgotten in this continuing story, you find out how their married lives have gone.

For me, this whole trilogy is a really human look into another culture so different than our own here in North America. People are people with similar urges and feelings, and will find ways to express or control desires through whatever outlets happen to be available.

While this book could be read on it's own, I highly suggest reading Palace Walk first, as it is a sequel. The reader really needs the background from the first book to fully appreciate this one.

This book opens with the father, Al Sayyid Ahmad Abd al Jawad, in middle age. He,and his oldest son, Yasin continue their romantic escapades. Kamal is hurt terribly in love. This book absolutely deverves the Nobel Prize for Literature that it won, as you really feel with all of the characters. Naguib Mahfouz is a master of characterization, and of many different types of characters.

If you have read and enjoyed Palace Walk, by all means, continue with Palace of Desire, and Sugar Street (third and last of the series of three). You will NOT be disappointed.

This is the second book in a trilogy by Egyptian author Naguib Mahfouz. I loved the first book and enjoyed this one equally well. Of course, by now I'm acquainted with the characters and the time and place - shortly after WWI in Cairo, Egypt.

This is a family saga. Each character is scrupulously drawn. Sometimes I thought the author used a few too many words to make his point however. That's because he goes into the thoughts of his characters. It does seem real as he describes what they say as well as what they don't say. At times I thought I would like to edit it a bit and make these musings a little shorter, but I soon just accepted it as the author's style and let myself be enveloped in his world. And I must say that this technique made me feel I was inside their heads, viewing their world as they experienced it. I found this very impressive.

The family has been mourning the death of one of their sons during a demonstration several years before, and this sadness is something they live with all the time. The father and patriarch of the family is now in his fifties. He hasn't been womanizing for a while but is ready to go back to his former pleasures in life. The oldest son compromises the family's honor by choosing the wrong bride. And the youngest son is in his late teens and insists on going to a teacher's college instead of studying law. He falls in love and we share his despair when it is not returned. The two daughters are married and have several children each. We get a glimpse into their lives too, and the conflict that one of them is having with her mother-in-law.

One of the best things about the book was the understanding I got about another culture. I perceived it all naturally, through the eyes of the author. He described Egypt at the time he was living it. He didn't try to give me a history lesson. This book was writen in the mid-1950s. It was written in Egyptian for Egyptian people. Later it was translated into English. I couldn't help but contrast it with a best seller I read recently which tried to pack a history lesson into the narrative. Reading this trilogy however, gives me a history lesson without really trying. I liked that.

I totally enjoyed this book as I did the first book, Palace Walk. I would recommend reading that first if you are interested in this trilogy, however, because understanding the background of the characters really enriches the whole story. I have the third book, Sugar Street, waiting for me to read on my bookshelf. I am looking forward to it.

Definitely recommended. And I can certainly understand why Naguib Mahrouz won a Nobel prize for literature.

Mafouz has won the nobel prize for literature so I'm surprised I'm the first one here. This family is engaging and the way of life in Cairo almost palpable in this trilogy. I had no idea what business the English had in Egypt and so came to the subject with a completely open mind and I feel much more in sympathy with Egyptians as a consequence.