But more shock and humiliation is in store for Al-Sayyid Ahmad he is unaware that the young woman was once the lover of his eldest son, Yasin. Al-Sayyid Ahmad proceeds to ply the young woman with luxuries in the hope she may come around to indulging him in return. Having never been rejected by a woman before, it is a humiliation he can barely tolerate, and his lust demands to be satisfied. But there is a shock in store for Al-Sayyid Ahmad as the object of his desires, a young lute player named Zanuba, rejects his advances. Resuming his nights out with his old friends, he has begun drinking again and is also tempted by the possibility of new affair. His two other sons, Yasin and Kamal, also enjoy greater freedom.Īl-Sayyid Ahmad, though, has started to return to his former vices. She can even state an opinion without having to fear his wrath. His wife, Amina is now permitted to leave the house to visit family and her beloved al-Husayn mosque. He has even loosened the reigns on his previously tyrannical rule over his family.

In those five years Al-Sayyid Ahmad, out of repentance, has turned his back on his previous life of drinking, partying and adultery, neglecting his friends. Note – since this novel is the second part of a trilogy, this review contains spoilers with regards to the first novel Palace Walk (see my review here).įive years have passed since the death of Fahmy, the eldest son of Al-Sayyid Ahmad Abd al-Jawad, shot during a demonstration against the British occupation of Egypt. In it we follow 17-year-old Kamal as he deals with crises of faith and unrequited love in 1920’s Egypt.

Palace of Desire is the second novel of Nobel Prize Winner Naguib Mahfouz’s Cairo Trilogy.

Palace of Desire by Naguib Mahfouz