Description: First published in Arabic in 1983, this brief but powerful parable is presented as the journal of a traveler known as Ibn Fattouma. A mystical, lyrical Pilgrim's Progress set in a mythical, timeless Middle East, by the winner of the 1988 Nobel Prize for Literature.
Review Quotes:
"The sheen of the Arabian Nights lends a magical glow to this resonant fable." --Boston Globe
"A morality play extolling the virtues of tolerance and understanding." --Los Angeles Times "The Journey of Ibn Fattouma is captivating in its simplicity." --Cleveland Plain Dealer "Mahfouz's pithy parable mocks the hypocrisy of nations that wage war and maintain empire in the name of brotherhood and freedom." --Publishers Weekly "A slender, magical parable of idealism and compromise through a stylized Middle East odyssey." --Kirkus Reviews "A dreamy fable. . . . The arful mood of languor and Mahfouz's exactness of expression ensure that it will be well received." --Booklist "As enchanting a tale as any he has written." --Library Journal