Monday, January 03, 2005

Severest critic or sympathizer?

Other people might remember Palace Walk by Naguib Mahfouz for different reasons. I remember it for the spell its characters cast: I, avowed feminist, find myself almost in sync with Amina's angry bafflement with women who step out of the house or question male authority, and thus denigrate "sincerity, virtue, and religion". What better marker of great literature?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I had found a hardback version of this novel over Christmas break for cheap. I shall let you know of what Senor M says in this novel when I get to it.

Meanwhile I would also reccomend this:
http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?0385485565

I finished reading it one afternoon in a bookstore many months ago. Stirring stuff!

Sashi

Monica said...

Ah, reading list backlogs! I find mine extending miles farther back than Christmas. Calculate the number of books you can possibly read per year and the number of books you are compelled to buy since your hands can't keep off them... perhaps I should find a hospitable bookstore (presumably, with comfortable chairs!) like yours, Sashi.