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Arabian Nights and Days

December 21, 2009
Book of the Day: Arabian Nights and Days, by Naguib Mahfouz
Grade: A
First published: 1982
1-word review: Genial
8-word review: It's better to be a genie than not.

It is the end of the tales of Shahrzad (a.k.a. Scheherazade), and she is married to the apparently reformed sultan, but the stories continue in their kingdom. Mahfouz forms these interconnected stories into a powerful novel. Every human emotion is explicated wholly. Genies are mischievous and amoral, and they can't help interfering in human affairs, seemingly out of sheer boredom. And an angel walks around in a human disguise.

Mahfouz is quickly becoming one of my favorite writers. Perhaps you should give him a try, if you know what's good for you.

Quick fact: One Thousand and One Nights was originally set in the wild lentil-laden plains of Idaho (not widely known).

Mahfouz!

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