| by Naguib Mahfouz
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KayStJ's to-read list(628) Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. English (11)French (1) Italian (1) All languages (13) Showing 1-5 of 11 (next | show all)Naguib Mahfouz's Arabian Nights and Days was a clever idea; a continuation from King Shahryar's cruel disposition and Shehrazad's storytelling. But there is always a big risk involved in the project of writing a sequel to a classic: the danger lies in the expectations of the readers. The content of Arabian Nights and Days by Mahfouz lacks the one quality that made the classic that was Arabians Nights, one of the most magical, mystical and elevating books of my childhood: it doesn't evoke those macabre, violent or simply sensuous images that I remember of the classic. We don't come close to the flitting of pages of the Sage Duban, of the latter's 'talking head', of the monochrome fish in the desolate enchanted city that are transformed into ghoulish creatures... Weaving stories from the lives of all characters, both major and minor, was an adaptation from the classic that is Arabian Nights, but again, that was not particularly ingenious. I felt that the ending was also quite typical: this hackneyed comment on the evanescence of the truth is commonly seen in novels, poems etc. Again therefore, I didn't think much of that. I hope I come across better works by him. It would be a shame if I don't, because I've heard so much about him, and if it's once more a story of 'much ado about nothing', then it would cast a very dark shadow on the current state of literature -- a conclusion/observation that the clear-sighted seem to make, but which I have been resisting for a long time. ( ) humeirah | Jun 29, 2016 | The cycle of bloodshed begins when Saanan the merchant is tricked by two trouble-making genies, Qumqam and Singam, to kill the corrupt governor of the city. He is put to death and his family is reduced to penury. More misfortunes follow, and the book is filled with mysterious murders which the police cannot solve. The trials of those people accused of these crimes provide the public with material for gossip and unlimited entertainment, but when it comes to light that the innocent have been sentenced to death, it leads to simmering discontent. The subjects are no longer satisfied with the ruler. In order to solve this problem, the sultan, his minister and the clown put on various garbs and roam the streets at night gathering real information that seldom reaches royal ears. This leads to several riveting episodes which form the basis for about half-a-dozen short-stories. In the story of Anees-al-Galees, a cunning genie take on the form of an enchantress, mesmerizes the most powerful men of that land (including the sultan) and ultimately humiliates all of them by robbing them of their clothes and making them walk back to their own homes in stark nakedness. The characterization is contemporary: the women are more strong-willed than the men; a madman acts as the voice of conscience; the bloodthirsty sultan regrets his style of functioning, sets on the path of reform and grows increasingly despondent; religious fundamentalists keep conspiring against the regime. The alternate endings presented in Arabian Nights and Days vary between the hilarious and the tragic, so we find Shahrazad’s sister Dunyazad eloping with Nur Al-Din, a perfume-seller; sailor Sindbad spouting Sufi wisdom; and Magic-lamp-and-flying-carpet Aladdin, famous for his happily-ever-after story, brutally executed on trumped-up charges. bostonwendym | Mar 3, 2016 | ممتعه جدا و مميزه و عجبنى فيها لمحاتها السياسيه...بحس ابداعات نجيب محفوظ بيظهر فى الروايات الطويله و المتوسطه اكتر من القصص القصيره ...صحيح الف ليله مش اقوى اعماله بس حلو اما جمصة البلطى فيحتاج دراسة ادبية منفصلة لو عجبتك الف ليله يبقى ابدأ فى رحلات ابن فطومه....نفس الاجواء التاريخيه الجميله و اللمحات السياسيه غير الصريحه ( ) Dina_Nabil | Mar 23, 2014 | bookshelves: translation, published-1982, books-with-a-passport, tbr-busting-2013, shortstory-shortstories-novellas, afr-egypt, fantasy, paper-read, giftee, nobel-laureate Recommended to ☯Bettie☯ by: Themis-Athena (Does not and never will own a Kindle) Read from December 09, 2012 to January 02, 2014 Translated by Denys Johnson-Davies Opening: Following the dawn prayer, with clouds of darkness defying the vigorous thrust of light, the vizier Dandan was called to a meeting with the sultan Shahriyar. Reworking of some of the 1001 tales and lovely to help fill in those gaps of real-life timetable. Waiting for the tatties to roast? read a story. Tumble drier working hard at reviving padded walking trews? read a story. Crossposted: Wordpress Booklikes LeafMark Librarything aNobii ( ) mimal | Jan 2, 2014 | اول رواية اقراها لنجيب محفوظ اجمل رواية عربية قراتها حتى الان النزعة الصوفية قوية جدا فى هذه الرواية من حيث الجانب الروحانى و اعلاء قيمة الاخلاق و الاستقامة والبعد عن المعاصى وان الخلاص الحقيقى هو حب الله حتى يرى المريد بنور البصيرة Best arabic novel i have ever read........!! ( ) ariesblue | Mar 31, 2013 | Showing 1-5 of 11 (next | show all) ▾Published reviews Was inspired byThe Arabian Nights: Tales from a Thousand and One Nights by Richard Burton ▾Common Knowledge
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