Anchor proudly presents a new omnibus volume of three
novels--previously published separately by Anchor--by Naguib
Mahfouz, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature. Assembled here is
a collection of Mahfouz's artful meditations on the vicissitudes of
post-Revolution Egypt. Diverse in style and narrative technique,
together they render a rich, nuanced, and universally resonant
vision of modern life in the Middle East.
The Beggar is a complex tale of alienation and despair. In the
aftermath of Nasser's revolution, a man sacrifices his work and
family to a series of illicit love affairs. Released from jail in
post-Revolutionary times, the hero ofThe Thief and the Dogs blames
an unjust society for his ill fortune, eventually bringing himself
to destruction. Autumn Quail is a tale of moral responsibility,
isolation, and political downfall about a corrupt bureaucrat who is
one of the early victims of the purge after the 1952 revolution in
Egypt.