Title: Palace of Desire

Author: Naguib Mahfouz (Egyptian)

Translator: Li Weizhong

Publisher: Sino - Culture Press

Edition: 1st Edition, March 2019

Format: Hardcover, 16 - mo

Printed Sheets: 31.25

Word Count: 450,000 words

ISBN: 9787507550696

Price: 68.00 CNY

The "Cairo Trilogy" (comprising Palace Walk, Palace of Desire, and Sugar Street) vividly, subtly, and profoundly depicts the ideological states, ethical values, and love affairs of numerous characters through the life vicissitudes of three generations of the family of Ahmed Abdel Jawad, an Egyptian merchant. It unfolds a magnificent historical panorama of Egyptian society from the 1920s to the 1940s, serving as a "chronicle of Egyptian social mores and human relationships."

The story of Palace of Desire is set from 1924 to 1927, approximately five years after the end of the first part. Since the loss of his son, the father has given up his hedonistic ways, and a serious illness has made him acutely aware that his youth has passed. The mother now has the freedom to visit the Hussein Mosque or see her married daughter. The eldest son has left home to live alone, and the youngest son is determined to devote himself to academic pursuits. The story indirectly portrays the spiritual state of the young generation in Egypt at that time - being lost, confused, and pained as they struggled to find their way in the face of drastic social changes.

Naguib Mahfouz, an Egyptian writer, is the most celebrated novelist in the contemporary Arab world. In 1988, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, becoming the first Arabic - speaking writer to receive this honor. The Nobel Committee's citation reads: "Through his numerous works with meticulous depictions, all - pervading realism, and by inspiring people to aspire high, he has created an Arabic language art cherished by all humanity." His first three historical novels, Mockery of Fate, Radubis, and The Battle of Abydos, all convey a sense of patriotism. From the 1940s to the 1950s, Mahfouz was in his realist - writing phase, during which he published four novels exposing social darkness and advocating social change: New Cairo, Khan el - Khalili, Midaq Alley, and Beginning and End. The trilogy of Palace Walk, Palace of Desire, and Sugar Street, marking the pinnacle of his novel - writing career, is widely recognized as a milestone in the history of Arab novels. Subsequently, he also published works such as The Thief and the Dogs, The Search, The Beggar, Conversations on the Nile, Children of Gebelawi, The Harafish, and Arabian Nights and Days.

Li Weizhong graduated from the Translation Department of Beijing Institute of Foreign Trade in 1965 and then taught at the same institute until his 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 his writing. His translations include One Thousand and One Nights, The Complete Works of Kahlil Gibran, The Romance of Antar, Kalila and Dimna, The Man Who Conquered Darkness, Palace of Desire, The Girl from Ghassan, The Egyptian Girl, The Chaste Lady of Quraysh, etc. He has also co - translated works such as The Oriental Dancer and Between the Ruins.