sarah25samir's review against another edition
4.0
اولى تجاربى مع الروائى الرائع نجيب محفوظ
اعجبتنى جدا .. فهذا هو حال الكثير والذين راحوا ضحية المجتمع الذى قام بتوجيههم فى تلك الاتجاهات ثم يحاسبهم بعد ذلك
خانه اقرب الناس اليه وبمنتهى البرود وواجههم هو بدون خوف وما كان يوجهه هو شعوره بالقهر بعد هزيمته المتكرره امامهم
اسم الكتاب يصف البطل وهو اللص ومن هم يتصفون بالخيانه من البشر وصفهم بالكلاب
اعتقد انه لن يكون اول كتب نجيب محفوظ التى اقرأها
رأيت الفيلم ولم اكن قرأت الروايه ولذلك كنت اعرف الاحداث ولكن اسلوب الكتابه جعلها مشوقه جدا كأنى لم اعرف القصه من قبل
ومطاردة الكلاب له هى نفسها مطارده هؤلاء الخونه له والذين يحملون نفس الصفه كمطاردين له عموما وبدون رحمه او تفهم
اعجبتنى جدا .. فهذا هو حال الكثير والذين راحوا ضحية المجتمع الذى قام بتوجيههم فى تلك الاتجاهات ثم يحاسبهم بعد ذلك
خانه اقرب الناس اليه وبمنتهى البرود وواجههم هو بدون خوف وما كان يوجهه هو شعوره بالقهر بعد هزيمته المتكرره امامهم
اسم الكتاب يصف البطل وهو اللص ومن هم يتصفون بالخيانه من البشر وصفهم بالكلاب
اعتقد انه لن يكون اول كتب نجيب محفوظ التى اقرأها
رأيت الفيلم ولم اكن قرأت الروايه ولذلك كنت اعرف الاحداث ولكن اسلوب الكتابه جعلها مشوقه جدا كأنى لم اعرف القصه من قبل
ومطاردة الكلاب له هى نفسها مطارده هؤلاء الخونه له والذين يحملون نفس الصفه كمطاردين له عموما وبدون رحمه او تفهم
monamd's review against another edition
3.0
و عليك أن تكابد الظلمة و الصمت و الوحدة مادامت الدنيا لا تريد أن تغير من عاداتها السيئة.
ghadeer_elsalhawy's review against another edition
5.0
من أروع ما قرأت و حقًا أفضل بداية للسنة ، الأسلوب السهل بيخليك مركز طول الوقت و متحفز للأحداث القادمة ، مود القصة ممتع جدًا و مش هتقدر تسيب الكتاب إلا لما تخلصه ، أنصح بقرائته بشدة.
jmiae's review against another edition
5.0
From the perspective of the pleasure-seeking fiction reader, this book was wonderful. The prose was delightful - lots of lovely phrases, plenty of gorgeous sensory detail, and just enough drama to make your heart race a little. You know how they say reading makes you more empathetic? This was a textbook example. I knew that Mahgub was a horrible person and yet I felt for him and when things were going badly for him I couldn't help but hope that he would be okay. So although not all of the characters were as well-developed as Mahgub, the ensemble as a whole had a strong effect. The story itself is compelling with enough twists and turns to make it hard to put this down. Also, I really must actually read Goethe's Faust because even though I can understand why so many Western critics (rather annoyingly) called this Faustian and Dostoevskian, I have not actually read Faust and as such have only a rather abstracted notion of what they might be referring to. But enough about comparing non-Western works to Western classics, as if that's the only way 'serious' praise can be conferred upon literature.
But from a more critical perspective, it is fascinating how reading can simultaneously teach you so much and demonstrate how little you know. Reading about the Middle East, as written by an Egyptian author in the 1940s, is such a completely different experience from reading more recent literature that has been produced by MENA writers. The influence of the West and the remnants of colonialism is of course still palpable, but the world depicted by Mahfouz is otherwise so incredibly different from the one that has been the focus of politics and international news for the past few decades.
It also struck me that my knowledge of modern Egyptian history is astoundingly bad. That's one of the challenges/benefits of reading translated literature. In this case, Mahfouz is writing in Arabic, for a readership that he assumes has prerequisite knowledge about the social, cultural, historical and political background of Egypt circa 1945. It is up to the translator, then, to decide how much additional information to provide to the audience in order for them to fully appreciate the implications of some of the references that come up (i.e. the Egyptian Revolution of 1919, the 1923 constitution, the differences between the 1923 and the 1930 constitution, etc.). This can be done with footnotes, endnotes, a glossary, etc. And if the translator decided not to include that information, then the reader must take responsibility for their own education. Hutchins provided a very short glossary, but not all the cultural/historical terms that were unfamiliar to me were included.
So, reading Cairo Modern has given me two new ambitions: 1) read more of Naguib Mahfouz and 2) learn more about modern Egyptian history from non-fiction resources.
I first learned about Naguib Mahfouz from a well-read coworker, and on my last trip to the local library this was the only novel of his on the shelf so I picked it up. One of these days, I really must try and focus on short stories. Perhaps something to consider for 2019's reading goals.
But from a more critical perspective, it is fascinating how reading can simultaneously teach you so much and demonstrate how little you know. Reading about the Middle East, as written by an Egyptian author in the 1940s, is such a completely different experience from reading more recent literature that has been produced by MENA writers. The influence of the West and the remnants of colonialism is of course still palpable, but the world depicted by Mahfouz is otherwise so incredibly different from the one that has been the focus of politics and international news for the past few decades.
It also struck me that my knowledge of modern Egyptian history is astoundingly bad. That's one of the challenges/benefits of reading translated literature. In this case, Mahfouz is writing in Arabic, for a readership that he assumes has prerequisite knowledge about the social, cultural, historical and political background of Egypt circa 1945. It is up to the translator, then, to decide how much additional information to provide to the audience in order for them to fully appreciate the implications of some of the references that come up (i.e. the Egyptian Revolution of 1919, the 1923 constitution, the differences between the 1923 and the 1930 constitution, etc.). This can be done with footnotes, endnotes, a glossary, etc. And if the translator decided not to include that information, then the reader must take responsibility for their own education. Hutchins provided a very short glossary, but not all the cultural/historical terms that were unfamiliar to me were included.
So, reading Cairo Modern has given me two new ambitions: 1) read more of Naguib Mahfouz and 2) learn more about modern Egyptian history from non-fiction resources.
I first learned about Naguib Mahfouz from a well-read coworker, and on my last trip to the local library this was the only novel of his on the shelf so I picked it up. One of these days, I really must try and focus on short stories. Perhaps something to consider for 2019's reading goals.
omnia_atef's review against another edition
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
للأس اول رواية لم احبها لنجيب محفوظ. أشعر أن النهايه و الأحداث تائهة اعلم ان البطل حرامي و لكن لم يموت و حده ويبقى باقي العصابه تتمتع بالغنيمة كان يجب ام يقعوا جميعا
schwarzer_elch's review against another edition
4.0
Primer libro que leo de este autor, Premio Nobel de Literatura 1988 y considerado uno de los autores más importantes e influyentes en lengua árabe.
El protagonista se llama Mahyub Abdudaim y su historia se centra en su ambición por escalar cada vez más en la estructura social del Egipto de la década de 1930. Es fascinante como un personaje tan oscuro, carente de valores y principios, puede resultar a su vez, sumamente real y cercano.
Me gustó la forma en la que el autor describe las dimensiones humanas de sus personajes. Los capítulos orientados a la presentación de cada uno de los tres amigos fueron los que más disfruté. El personaje de Ihsán, tan contrario a lo que esperaba encontrar, fue el que más me cautivó y, de hecho, me dejó con ganas de conocerla más a fondo.
A lo largo de la historia se hace referencia a algunas cosas propia de la estructura social egipcia de la época (cargos de gobierno, por ejemplo); sin embargo, esto no es un impedimento para seguir la narrativa sin perder la ilación de la trama central (además, siempre se puede recurrir a Google para aclarar cualquier duda).
De hecho, después de este primer acercamiento a la literatura de Mahfuz, me quedan muchas ganas de leer otras de sus publicaciones, especialmente los libros que conforman la Trilogía del Cairo, que es considerada su obra más importante.
El protagonista se llama Mahyub Abdudaim y su historia se centra en su ambición por escalar cada vez más en la estructura social del Egipto de la década de 1930. Es fascinante como un personaje tan oscuro, carente de valores y principios, puede resultar a su vez, sumamente real y cercano.
Me gustó la forma en la que el autor describe las dimensiones humanas de sus personajes. Los capítulos orientados a la presentación de cada uno de los tres amigos fueron los que más disfruté. El personaje de Ihsán, tan contrario a lo que esperaba encontrar, fue el que más me cautivó y, de hecho, me dejó con ganas de conocerla más a fondo.
A lo largo de la historia se hace referencia a algunas cosas propia de la estructura social egipcia de la época (cargos de gobierno, por ejemplo); sin embargo, esto no es un impedimento para seguir la narrativa sin perder la ilación de la trama central (además, siempre se puede recurrir a Google para aclarar cualquier duda).
De hecho, después de este primer acercamiento a la literatura de Mahfuz, me quedan muchas ganas de leer otras de sus publicaciones, especialmente los libros que conforman la Trilogía del Cairo, que es considerada su obra más importante.
alexandraramz's review against another edition
1.0
DNF at 25%
I liked the other Mahfouz book I read A LOT but this one was super boring and the translation just didn’t work for me.
I liked the other Mahfouz book I read A LOT but this one was super boring and the translation just didn’t work for me.
tomkipp's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5