Between the two palaces

The first part of the famous trilogy by Naguib Mahfouz, which many critics and literature specialists consider the best and most important Arabic novel, as this part reviews the life of an Egyptian family headed by Mr. Ahmad Abd El Gawad, a wealthy merchant in the Al-Jamaliyya neighborhood during World War I and ending with the 1919 revolution. The character is characterized by overt duality, being very strict within the family and at home, but outside he has a completely different personality. He is the beloved, the witty one among his friends, always staying up late in the houses of the libertine worlds. The novel was published in 1956 and was adapted into a film in 1964, making the title "Sayed" have a broader significance than the fictional character itself. Mr. Ahmad Abd El Gawad represents the absolute authority in the house, with no opinion above his and no saying equal to his. His children obey him blindly, even preferring death a thousand times when facing their father. Author: Naguib Mahfouz Number of pages: 584