the 1988 Nobel Prize For Literature. Passing it up would have been a mistake. The story takes place in Egypt during World War II. We are introduced to a set of distinct character who occupy this backwater street each being so different they almost feel like caricatures. There's the hashish addicted Café owner, the hardworking baker, and their wives who argue and beat on them. There's a young barber who wants to seek his fortune so he can marry the beauty of the neighborhood. There's a "Doctor" who we discover has a nasty habit. There's a pious old man who all respect. There's a match maker who is always looking for an opportunity. And a wealthy widow who decides to see if the matchmaker can find a younger man for her. So far not very inspiring. But there's more.

One unique character is a cripple maker who creates beggars and lives off the alms people give them. Another intriguing character is the fiery neighborhood beauty. At first we see her as the person who many are attracted to as she walks somewhat seductively through the alley. She accepts the proposal of the young barber who immediately leaves to enlist in the British army so he can provide a better life for his fiancé. This is where this story begins to get darker. The young beauty readily forgets she's engaged and agrees to marry the wealthiest resident of the neighborhood who immediately has a heart attack and they never marry. Then a handsome well dressed outsider peaks her interest. They toy with each other challenging each to make a move. He winds up enticing her but doesn't want to marry her instead he wants to groom her and be her pimp. She leaves the alley and her past embracing his offer but getting more thrills by fighting with him. Needless to say it ends badly.

One contrast that stuck me was the constant referencing to God and the Prophet and everything must be the will of God. That was not surprising. What was surprising is the absence of an Imam and little mention of any attendance at a mosque. Not totally absent but definitely not central to the alley. I came away from his book feeling that I'd just read a long short story. I wanted more. The author wraps things up with a short judgment - all things eventually never change the alley. The events just roll on. ( )

I found this existentialist novel to be delightful. It takes place in a small alley in Cairo in the mid-1940's and centers around the daily lives of those who live and work there over a period of about a year. I was planning to introduce the main characters and found a handy list on Wikipedia so I've borrowed it:

Kirsha, a café owner who illegally sells and uses hashish and has a predilection for young boys
Mrs. Kirsha, infamous for her temper
Uncle Kamil, good-hearted, bachelor sweets-seller, famously bloated and sleepy
Abbas, a young, kindly barber who loves the neighborhood and wants to get married
Salim Alwan, the wealthy businessman
Dr. Booshy, the self-proclaimed dentist
Sheikh Darwish, the old poet and former English teacher, who left his former life to roam the streets.
Radwan Hussainy, a landlord who beats his wife and failed his al-Azhar exams, yet is revered for his high degree of education and devotion to Allah. He has lost all of his children.
Hussain Kirsha, son of the café owner who works for the British.
Saniya Afify, widowed landlady
Umm Hamida, the neighborhood matchmaker and bath attendant; Hamida's foster mother
Hamida, a beautiful young woman who dreams of a better life
Husniya, the bakeress who beats her husband with her slipper
Jaada, Husniya's husband
Zaita, the cripple maker who lives outside the bakery

The characters are all very human with both good and bad sides. Although I didn't find the characters sympathetic enough to really care what was going to happen to them, I was interested enough in them that it was hard to put the book down.

I definitely recommend this book and plan to read more by this author in the future. ( )

Novels by Egyptian Nobel Prize winner in Literature.