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Palace of Desire (Cairo Trilogy II)
 
 
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Palace of Desire (Cairo Trilogy II) (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Al-Sayyid Ahmad Abd al-Jawad closed the door behind him and crossed the courtyard of his house by the pale light of the stars..." (more)
Key Phrases: mallow greens, house shirt, primary certificate, Muhammad Iffat, Husayn Shaddad, Ahmad Abd (more...)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
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Palace of Desire (Cairo Trilogy II) + Sugar Street (The Cairo Trilogy, 3) + Palace Walk (Cairo Trilogy)
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  • This item: Palace of Desire (Cairo Trilogy II) by Naguib Mahfouz

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this second volume of Nobel laureate Mahfouz's Cairo trilogy, a tyrannical father discovers that his mistress has secretly married his just-divorced son. "A masterpiece, albeit a wordy, very leisurely one, this family saga is well served by a scintillating translation that exposes English-language readers to an Egyptian Balzac," said PW.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal

Al-Sayyid Ahmad is mellowing as he leaves middle age. As this second novel of "The Cairo Trilogy" opens, he is ending his self-imposed abstention from liquor and women, begun five years earlier upon the death of his son, Fahmy. With shouts of joy, his friends welcome him back to their nightly revels, and al-Sayyid Ahmad promtly begins a new love affair. Meanwhile, his children are struggling with life beyond their father's domination. Yasin is twice divorced and incapable of resisting any woman. The two married daughters are split by an open feud. And Kamal, the intellectual center of this novel, enters college, where he suffers the three furies of religion, science, and romance. Through all these avenues, Mahfouz pursues his fascinating examination of Cairo's Islamic culture as it opens to modern influences. This novel continues the outstanding quality of this trilogy, leaving readers anxious for the final volume.
-Paul E. Hutchison, Pequea, Pa.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 432 pages
  • Publisher: Anchor (December 1, 1991)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0385264682
  • ISBN-13: 978-0385264686
  • Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #132,630 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category: (What's this?)

    #16 in  Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > Middle Eastern > Arabic

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More About the Author

Naguib Mahfouz
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First Sentence:
Al-Sayyid Ahmad Abd al-Jawad closed the door behind him and crossed the courtyard of his house by the pale light of the stars. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
mallow greens, house shirt, primary certificate, lute player, drinks vendor
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Muhammad Iffat, Husayn Shaddad, Ahmad Abd, Hasan Salim, Ali Abd, Isma'il Latif, Umm Hanafi, Naguib Mahfou, Sad Zaghlul, Teachers College, Palace of Desire Alley, Sugar Street, Ibrahim Shawkat, Khalil Shawkat, Palace Walk, Palaces Street, Law School, Sa'd Zaghlul, Shaddad Bey, Shaykh Mutawalli Abd, Wafd Party, Muhammad Ridwan, Salim Bey Sabry, Yasin Effendi, Ghunaym Hamidu
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Sugar Street by William Maynard Hutchins
 

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Customer Reviews

18 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (18 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars One man's family . . ., January 17, 2006
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.
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The best of three and all, June 11, 1999
By Emir Gumrukcuoglu (Istanbul Turkey) - See all my reviews
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.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Worthy of the Nobel Prize, January 14, 2006
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.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Can't Wait!
I haven't read Palace of Desire yet, but the anticipation is growing!! If it is anything at all like the first book of the trilogy, it will be amazing!
Published 2 months ago by ceekay

2.0 out of 5 stars boring
too wordy. too complicated. too boring. the father , the husband is the GOD. the wife and the children are his servants. Isnt that something.
Published 14 months ago by KDA

5.0 out of 5 stars A family saga, a view of Egyptian culture, and a history lesson. I loved it!
This is the second book in a trilogy by Egyptian author Naguib Mahfouz. I loved the first book and enjoyed this one equally well. Read more
Published on May 19, 2007 by Linda Linguvic

4.0 out of 5 stars Another Great Mahfouz
Like the first in the trilogy, this was excellent writing, alternating between telling and describing, but with the most vivid description, and somehow the telling is the most... Read more
Published on May 13, 2005 by Jedidiah Palosaari

5.0 out of 5 stars Second part of "The Cairo Trilogy"
In the second volume of "The Cairo Trilogy", we follow the progress of Al-Sayyid Ahmad Abd al-Jawad's family after the death of Fahmy in a riot against the British. Read more
Published on May 9, 2005 by Philippe Horak

3.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as Palace Walk
A continuation of Palace Walk, the story seemed to drag on. I found Kamal's intellectual transformations interesting, but quickly tired of Yasin's escapades and the focus on men... Read more
Published on April 10, 2004 by J. Jacobs

5.0 out of 5 stars Mahfouz a Master of Characterization
While this book could be read on it's own, I highly suggest reading Palace Walk first, as it is a sequel. Read more
Published on July 13, 2003 by Imperial Topaz

4.0 out of 5 stars The Saga Continues
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... Read more
Published on November 30, 2002 by debra crosby

5.0 out of 5 stars An Egyptian Family, the story continues
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... Read more
Published on November 18, 2002 by Gail Moore

4.0 out of 5 stars Enter through the imagination
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... Read more
Published on May 9, 2002 by sally a mcnall

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