tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051826042602269061.post7485030792280520205..comments2024-03-25T09:01:20.997-07:00Comments on Diary of an Autodidact: Palace Walk by Naguib MahfouzDiary of an Autodidacthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11849157548643091986noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051826042602269061.post-9913927863608087002014-11-08T11:30:39.119-08:002014-11-08T11:30:39.119-08:00I read Palace Walk back in the 1990s and loved it ...I read Palace Walk back in the 1990s and loved it so much that I read Palace of Desire immediately afterwards. I have it on my list to reread the 1st 2 volumes and to read Sugar Street. There is a lot that I’ve forgotten about Palace Walk, but I certainly remember the suppressed Amina and the father’s control of the family. Before reading your review, I would have described it as a story of revolution, but you’ve reminded me that there is much more to the book than the political turmoil that’s the backdrop for the novel.<br /><br />I’ve read that the entire novel is written in modern standard Arabic, even the dialog. I wish I could read firsthand how Mahfouz evokes Cairo society using a formal language. There is so much lost in translation, even if Jackie O is the editor.<br /><br />By the way, I’ve been reading Nudge based on your recommendation and only have about 50 pages to go. It’s interesting, and I agree with most of their arguments for gentle nudges. I give the authors brownie points for a Bully For Brontosaurus quote in the first chapter. We had on the San Francisco ballot this week a proposition for a soda tax (it didn’t pass), and city residents have been paying 10 cents for a paper bag at SF stores for a couple of years now (plastic bags are long gone). I will probably finish it this weekend, and I’ll go back and reread your review once I’m done. <br /><br /> <br />Annhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16098063988095610502noreply@blogger.com