The mirage

A unique psychological novel among the overall works of Mahfouz, in which he shifted to delve into the depths of the human soul and explore its hidden secrets, based on the character "Kamel Ruba Laaz" and the psychological and social environment in which he grew up, resulting in his psychological and behavioral crisis. Starting from his childhood and his relationship with his mother, who was divorced from her Arab husband, and lost her other two children who were placed under the custody of her ex-husband, which caused her to become overly attached to her son Kamel to a pathological degree. The latter became a prisoner of his relationship with his mother, suffering from extreme shyness and social phobia, lacking confidence, and unable to face society and the demands of life. The novel was published in 1948 and was adapted into a film in 1970.