The Magnificent Conman of Cairo: A Novel (Hoopoe Fiction)

Product Description Available In English For The First Time, This Rediscovered Classic Which Naguib Mahfouz Called Exceptional, Tells A Story Of Fathers And Sons, Scoundrels And The Innocent, Set In 1930S Cairo Khaled, The Spoiled Idle Son Of A Pasha, Meets Mallim, Carpenters Apprentice And Son Of A Scoundrel, When He Comes To Fix A Broken Window. In The Course Of His Work, Mallim Stumbles Across A Stash Of Money And Dutifully Hands It In. Khaled Cooks Up An Overly Elaborate Plot To See That His Dastardly Father Pays Mallim His Due, But The Plot Backfires And Mallim Is Thrown In Jail. Khaleds Guilt Over Mallims Misfortune, Made Worse By His Ridiculous Attempts To Defend Him, Result In A Decisive Moment: He Breaks Ties With His Cruel And Tyrannical Father, Seeking To Leave Behind The Upper-Class Lifestyle He Finds So Suffocating. They Meet Again Years Later, When Mallim Has Been Released From Prison And Given Up On Earning An Honest Living. Khaled Gets Caught Up In Mallims Latest Scam And Is Drawn Into Joining His Cadre Of Eccentrics And Failed Artists Living In A Derelict Mamluk Citadel. With A Sharp Satirical Voice Adel Kamals Masterful Novel Is Filled With Compelling Drama, Vivid Characters, And Subtle Humor. Review Exceptional--Naguib Mahfouz, Nobel Prize Winner An Extremely Clever Novel-- Arablit Every Single Page Is Entertaining. --Mada Masr KamelS Narrative Has A Light, Almost Breezy Touch --Complete Review An Extraordinary Tale--Arab News [T]He Characters Come Alive And Become Personally Felt. . . . This Novel Is The Perfect Quarantine Book For Arab And Non-Arab Readers Alike.--Aramcoworld About The Author Adel Kamel (1916-2005) Was An Egyptian Novelist, Short Story Writer, And Playwright. He Was A Founding Member Of The Informal Harafish Writers Collective That Included Such Eminent Writers As Nobel Laureate Naguib Mahfouz And Salah Jahin. He Was Considered To Be At The Vanguard Of His Generation, Leading The Push Toward Realism In Arabic Literature, And Many Critics Recognize The Importance Of His Legacy As A Radical Writer.