Palace of Desire by Naguib Mahfouz

On September 7th, 2009 we met to discuss Palace of Desire, the second in Naguib Mahfouz’s famous Cairo Trilogy.

We read the first volume from the trilogy – The Palace Walk – in April 2009 and the final volume – Sugar Street - in October 2009.  Through the story of an Egyptian family from the WWI to the independence of Egypt, it explores traditions in a changing world. It is a superb book and an essential read for anyone curious about Egyptian history or Arab culture.

2009 Summer Reading List

To celebrate the summer wedding season try:

• Wedding Night by Yusuf Abu Rayya
• The Wedding of Zein and other Stories by Tayeb Saleh
• Wedding by the Sea by Abdelkader Benali
• Wedding Song by Naguib Mahfouz

For a change,why not explore some non-fiction:

• Fragments of Memory: A Story of a Syrian Family, by Syrian author Hanna Mina
• Children of the Roojme: A Family’s Journey From Lebanon by Elmaz Abinader
• Return to Childhood: The Memoir of a Modern Moroccan Woman by Leila Abouzeid, Elizabeth Fernea

Short story collections make great Travel books:

• Oranges in the Sun: Short Stories from the Arabian Gulf, edited by Akers and Bagader
• Short Stories by Saudi Arabian Women Writers, edited by Ava Heinrichsdorff
• A Last Glass of Tea and Other Stories by Mohammed el Bisatie
• Native Informant: Six Tales of Defiance from the Arab World by Ramzi Salti

To try more by authors we’ve read before, we suggest:

• The Image, the Icon, and the Covenant by Sahar Khalifeh
• Samarkand by Amin Maalouf
• Story of a City by Abdul Rahman Munif
• Beirut Blues by Hanan al-Shaykh

To learn about authors we have yet to read in Kutub, we suggest:

• Sharon and My Mother-in-law by Suad al-Amiry
• Leaving Beirut by Mai Ghoussoub
• The Ship by Jabra Ibrahim
• The Tongue’s Blood Does Not Run Dry by Assia Djebar
• Naphtalene: A Novel of Baghdad, by Iraqi author Alia Mamdouh