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The Cairo Trilogy Series

This epic saga chronicles the lives of a Cairene patriarch and his descendants across three generations. Spanning from the Egyptian Revolution against British colonizers to the end of World War II, the series paints a rich, panoramic portrait of Egyptian society and politics. Immerse yourself in the characters' struggles, loves, and losses as they navigate their destinies within the vibrant, changing landscape of Cairo.

The Cairo Trilogy: Palace Walk, Palace of Desire, Sugar Street; Introduction by Sabry Hafez
The Cairo trilogy
Sugar Street
Palace of Desire
Palace Walk

Recommended Reading Order

  1. 1

    Palace Walk

    • 499 pages
    • 18 hours of reading
    4.1(376)Add rating

    "A sweeping and evocative portrait of both a family and a country struggling to move toward independence in a society that has resisted change for centuries. Set against the backdrop of Britain's occupation of Egypt immediately after World War I, Palace Walk introduces us to the Al Jawad family. Ahmad, a middle-class shopkeeper runs his household strictly according to the Qur'an while at night he explores the pleasures of Cairo. A tyrant at home, Ahmad forces his gentle, oppressed wife and two daughters to live cloistered lives behind the house's latticed windows, while his three very different sons live in fear of his harsh will."

    Palace Walk
  2. 2

    Palace of Desire

    4.2(3194)Add rating

    The second volume of the highly acclaimed Cairo Trilogy from the winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature. Filled with compelling drama, earthy humor, and remarkable insight, Palace Of Desire is the unforgettable story of the violent clash between ideals and realities, dreams and desires.

    Palace of Desire
  3. 3

    Sugar Street

    • 320 pages
    • 12 hours of reading
    4.2(2669)Add rating

    Sugar Street is the third and concluding volume of the celebrated Cairo Trilogy, which brings the story of Al-Sayid Ahmad and his family up to the middle of the twentieth century.Aging and ill, the family patriarch surveys the world from his housewares's latticed balcony, as his long-suffering wife once did. While his children face middle age, it is through his grandsons that we see a modern Egypt emerging.

    Sugar Street

Related books

  • The Cairo trilogy

    • 1313 pages
    • 46 hours of reading
    4.6(38)Add rating

    Mahfouz's epic trilogy unfolds the story of a Muslim family in Cairo during Egypt's British occupation in the early to mid-20th century. This masterwork, presented in one volume for the first time, captures the lives of the family led by the tyrannical patriarch al-Sayyid Ahmad Abd al-Jawad, who enforces strict control while indulging in secret pleasures. In Palace Walk, we meet his gentle, oppressed wife Amina, his cloistered daughters Aisha and Khadija, and his three sons: the tragic idealist Fahmy, the hedonistic Yasin, and the introspective Kamal. As the narrative progresses to Palace of Desire, the rebellious children strive to break free from their father's domination amid the modernizing influences and political upheaval of the 1920s. Sugar Street culminates the trilogy with a dramatic climax, showcasing the aging patriarch witnessing the divergent paths of his grandsons—one a Communist, another a Muslim fundamentalist, and the third a lover of a powerful politician. Throughout the trilogy, the family's struggles reflect the broader turmoil of their country during the two World Wars, as society grapples with change after centuries of resistance. Rich in drama, humor, and insight, this work exemplifies the artistry of a master storyteller.

    The Cairo trilogy