The Harafish

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The Harafish
Author Naguib Mahfouz
Original title Malhamat al-harafish
Translator Catherine Cobham
Country Egypt
Language Arabic
Genre(s) Novel
Publisher Maktabat Misr (1977 arabic)
Doubleday (Eng. trans.)
Publication date 1977
Published in
English
April 1994
Media type Print (Paperback)
ISBN ISBN 0-385-42324-1 (Eng. trans.)

The Harafish (Arabic: الحرافيش) (in orig. Arabic Malhamat al-harafish) is a novel written by Naguib Mahfouz. It comprises a series of episodes in a dozen generations of a family from the Egyptian urban rabble (the "harafish"). Many of the members of this family become clan chiefs in an alley in the city; some of them are benefactors to the other members of the harafish; some are more corrupt. Neither the location within Egypt nor the time of the events is ever identified.



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