The Magnificent Conman of Cairo (Paperback)

Adel Kamel

ISBN 10: 9774169670 / ISBN 13: 9789774169670

Published by The American University in Cairo Press, Cairo, 2020

About this Item

Paperback. Khaled, the spoiled idle son of a pasha, meets Malim, carpenters apprentice and son of a scoundrel, when he comes to fix a broken window. In the course of his work, Malim stumbles across a stash of money and dutifully hands it in. Khaled cooks up an overly elaborate plot to see that his dastardly father pays Malim his due, but the plot backfires and Malim is thrown in jail.Khaleds guilt over Malims misfortune, made worse by his ridiculous attempts to defend him, result in a decisive moment: he breaks ties with his cruel and tyrannical father, seeking to leave behind the upper-class lifestyle he finds so suffocating.They meet again years later, when Malim has been released from prison and given up on earning an honest living. Khaled gets caught up in Malims latest scam and is drawn into joining his commune of eccentrics and failed artists living in a derelict Mamluk citadel. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9789774169670

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Magnificent Conman of Cairo (Paperback)
• Publisher: The American University in Cairo Press, Cairo
• Publication Date: 2020
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 9774169670
• ISBN 13: 9789774169670
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

Available in English for the first time, this rediscovered classic which Naguib Mahfouz called “exceptional," tells a story of fathers and sons, scoundrels and the innocent, set in 1930s Cairo

Khaled, the spoiled idle son of a pasha, meets Mallim, carpenter’s apprentice and son of a scoundrel, when he comes to fix a broken window. In the course of his work, Mallim stumbles across a stash of money and dutifully hands it in. Khaled cooks up an overly elaborate plot to see that his dastardly father pays Mallim his due, but the plot backfires and Mallim is thrown in jail.
Khaled’s guilt over Mallim’s misfortune, made worse by his ridiculous attempts to defend him, result in a decisive moment: he breaks ties with his cruel and tyrannical father, seeking to leave behind the upper-class lifestyle he finds so suffocating.

They meet again years later, when Mallim has been released from prison and given up on earning an honest living. Khaled gets caught up in Mallim’s latest scam and is drawn into joining his cadre of eccentrics and failed artists living in a derelict Mamluk citadel.

With a sharp satirical voice Adel Kamal’s masterful novel is filled with compelling drama, vivid characters, and subtle humor.

About the Authors

Adel Kamel (1916–2005) was an Egyptian novelist, short story writer, and playwright. He was a founding member of the informal “harafish” writers’ collective that included such eminent writers as Nobel Laureate Naguib Mahfouz and Salah Jahin. He was considered to be at the vanguard of his generation, leading the push toward realism in Arabic literature, and many critics recognize the importance of his legacy as a radical writer.

Naguib Mahfouz was born in Cairo in 1911 and began writing when he was seventeen. His nearly forty novels and hundreds of short stories range from re-imaginings of ancient myths to subtle commentaries on contemporary Egyptian politics and culture. In 1988, he was the first writer in Arabic to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. He died in August 2006.

Waleed Almusharaf is a translator, writer, and academic, with a PhD from SOAS, University of London. He currently lives in California.