Palace Of Desire: Cairo Trilogy 02

Volume Two in the Cairo Trilogy, in which the story of Al-Sayid Ahmad and his family is continued.

Here we find the ageing patriarch pursuing a sexually alluring lute-player – only to find she has married his eldest son. Meanwhile, the women of the family test the loosening reins of parental and societal domination and the idealistic younger son ardently courts a rich, sophisticated young woman, in an affecting portrayal of unrequited love that is in many ways a portrait of the young Mahfouz.

PALACE OF DESIRE, like PALACE WALK, is a rich and teeming chronicle in which the enigmatic city of Cairo becomes a character itself. Filled with compelling drama and earthy humour, this is an unforgettable story of the sometimes violent clash between ideals and realities, dreams and desires, which again displays Mahfouz’s masterful storytelling talent.