Title: The Harafish
Author: Naguib Mahfouz (Egyptian)
Translators: Li Weizhong, Guan Cheng
Publisher: Sino-Culture Press
Edition: 1st Edition, September 2018
Format: Hardcover, 16 - mo
Printed Sheets: 31.5
Word Count: 260,000 words
ISBN: 9787507549706
Price: 68.00 CNY
The Harafish is both a legendary - style novel and an epic full of the characteristics of the times. On one hand, it records the long and tortuous journey of Egyptian commoners in their pursuit of social justice and a happy life. On the other hand, it reflects the author's exploration of an ideal world.
The work, with a highly concentrated artistic approach, depicts the rise and fall of a commoner family over nearly ten generations. The time and place of the story are completely downplayed, and it's difficult to see the environment and background of the protagonists. The whole work is like a fable, gradually unfolding amidst the continuous power struggles, economic disputes, love - hate relationships of nearly ten generations, as if it were a microcosm of the human journey. The story itself and the fates of all the protagonists are imbued with a touch of surrealism and symbolism.
Naguib Mahfouz is an Egyptian writer and the most renowned novelist in the contemporary Arab world. In 1988, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, becoming the first Arabic - language writer to receive this honor. The reason for the award was "Through his numerous works, which are characterized by meticulous portrayals and an all - penetrating realism, he has inspired ambition and created an art of the Arabic language that is appreciated by all humanity." His first three historical novels, Mockery of Fate, Rhadopis (also translated as The Courtesan and the Pharaoh), and The Battle of El - Alamein, all express patriotism. From the 1940s to the 1950s, Mahfouz was in the stage of realistic creation, publishing four novels that expose social darkness and call for social change: New Cairo, Khan el - Khalili, Midaq Alley, and Beginning and End. The trilogy Palace Walk, Palace of Desire, and Sugar Street, marking the peak of his novel - writing, is recognized as a milestone in the history of Arabic novels. After that, he also published works such as The Thief and the Dogs, The Road, The Beggar, Conversations on the Nile, Children of Gebelawi, The Harafish, One Thousand and One Nights, etc.
Li Weizhong graduated from the Translation Department of Beijing Institute of Foreign Trade in 1965 and then taught at the school until retirement. He is currently a visiting professor at Dalian University of Foreign Languages. Besides teaching, he has a passion for translation and is diligent in writing. His translations include One Thousand and One Nights, The Complete Works of Kahlil Gibran, The Romance of Antar, Kalila and Dimna, The Conqueror of Darkness, Palace of Desire, The Girl from Ghassan, The Egyptian Girl, The Virgin of Quraysh, etc. He has co - translated works such as The Oriental Dancer, Among the Ruins, Your Excellency, etc.
Guan Cheng graduated from the Arabic Department of the East Asian Languages Department of Peking University in 1965. He is a famous translator of Arabic literature. He once worked in the Arabic Literature Research Office of the Institute of Foreign Literature, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. In 1988, as a journalist from China Culture Daily, he interviewed hundreds of Egyptian writers. His translations include Children of Gebelawi, From Blind Child to Literary Giant, The Prairie Bride, Tears and Laughter, etc. He has edited works such as The Complete Works of Kahlil Gibran, Selected Egyptian Short Stories, Valley of Blood, etc. He has co - translated works such as The Harafish, Tragedy on the Nile, Stories from the Quran, etc.
The Mysterious Ashur Nagi / 001
Shams al - Din / 069
Love and the Cudgel / 119
The Hunted Man / 167
The Disappearance of Ghoray Eini / 217
"Queen" Zuhayra / 267
The Search for Immortality / 325
The Ghost / 381
Stealing Grain to Help the Poor / 419
The Mulberry Tree and the Bamboo Stick / 447
