The experiences and exploits of a college grad trying to make it in the "real world:" leaving school and friends in New England, moving south, and living with her boyfriend. Watch as I pretend to be an adult.
...to tell you about the book I just finished: "The Harafish," by Naguib Mahfouz. I have to say, I was very, very impressed. The story line followed a family over maybe...seven generations. They had their origens in the poor "rabble" of an alley (harafish means 'riff raff' in Arabic), and the novel followed their successes and failures. It was incredibly well written (and perhaps more importantly, well translated), and the plot kept the reader's interest. My only- minor- complaint is that the author focuses on the men, and regulates the women in the story to either Madonna or whore rolls. But, on the other hand, you have to take cultural context into account, and the book was written by a male muslem in the early 1900's. The story begins with Ashur, an orphan found abandoned in the street. A kindly elderly couple raise him, and he grows up to be a sort of "gentle giant." One day, provoked, he fights the "alley cheif," a local godfather type, and beats him. He then ushers in a sort of golden age for the poor of the neighborhood. He stops taking protection money from the less fortunate, and limits the protection money he takes from the rich. He keeps his menial job, and lives in a small basement apartment, making sure all of the money he collects goes to those who need it. He takes on an almost larger than life stature, and becomes the stuff of legend. Generations later, the people of the alley still remember him, and refer to his good deeds. After his death, the story follows his sons, and their sons, and so forth. It depicts their inability to live up to the legend of their ancestor, and the emotional turmoil that causes. Corruption, murder, greed, and family strife all plague Ashur's decendents, often despite their good intentions. I think one of the reasons I liked this book so much was the fact that it had a sort of "Arabian Nights" feel. The setting was one I'm not even remotely familiar with, and it lent a sort of romantic mistique to the novel. I highly recommend this book!
After 22 posted at 11:32 AM
