Title: Cairo Modern

Author: Naguib Mahfouz (Egypt])

Translator: Feng Zuoku

Publisher: Huawen Publishing House

Edition: 1st Edition, July 2017

Format: 16 - mo Binding: Soft - hardcover

Printed Sheets: 15.25 Word Count: 150,000 characters

ISBN: 9787507547221

Price: 38.00 CNY

This book depicts the process of a poor young man from a humble background who is unwilling to accept his lowly status and tries every means to climb up the social ladder, and his ultimate downfall and disgrace. Through the portrayal of this tragic character, the novel reveals the social contradictions and the corruption in the officialdom of Egypt at that time.

Naguib Mahfouz is one of the most important Egyptian writers and intellectuals in the Arab world. He was the first Arabic - language writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. The reason for his award was: "Through his numerous works with meticulous portrayals, all - penetrating realism, and by inspiring people to set their ambitions high, he has shaped the art of the Arabic language, which is appreciated by all mankind." The first three historical novels he published, Mockery of Fate, Radubis (also translated as The Courtesan and the Pharaoh), and The Battle of El - Alamein, all express patriotism. Later, he published four novels that expose social darkness and call for social change, namely Cairo Modern, Khan el - Khalili, Midaq Alley, and Beginning and End. The trilogy that marks the peak of his novel - writing, Palace Walk, Palace of Desire, and Sugar Street, 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 Search, The Beggar, Conversations on the Nile, The Harafish, and the Nobel - winning work Children of Gebelawi.

Feng Zuoku graduated from Beijing Foreign Studies University. He once served as a First Secretary at the Chinese Embassy in Egypt and the Director of the Asia - Africa Department of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries. From 2007 to 2015, he was the Vice - President and a member of the Party Leadership Group of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries. Since 2013, he has been a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.