?A literary dissection of Egypt’s modern history: In his novella The FinalHour, the Balzac of Egypt Naguib Mahfouz recounts the tale of a nation across three generations. Through their eyes, we vicariously experience both their public and private lives from the fall of the monarchy all the way to the Camp David accords. Published in 1982 and translated by Roger Allen, The Final Hour was adapted into a television series in 1987 starring Farid Shawki, Madiha Youssri, and Ezzat El Alaili.

The plot: Hamid Burhan and his wife Saniya El Mahdi live in a spacious house with a verdant garden in the quiet city of Helwan — back then sparsely populated. They live with their children, Kawthar, Mounira, and Ali. Hamid is a well-off middle-class man and a devout Wafdist, believing in the principles of the 1919 revolution. However, conditions quickly change with the onslaught of the 1952 revolution, which altered the course of Egyptian history. As his children grow up, each adopts a different political orientation: Mohamed leans towards the Muslim Brotherhood, Mounira is a Nasserist, and Kawthar couldn’t care less about politics.

Through the eyes of Hamid’s family, we follow a timeline of sociopolitical change spanning half a century. As the years come to pass, the children build their own families, endure the 1967 defeat, and bask in the glory of the 1972 victory. Yet, history is perceived differently by each of the children and their families.

Among our favorite Naguib Mahfouz works, The Final Hour sees the author excel at documenting a long, complex, and unique period of Egyptian history in a steady, candid, and painfully realistic manner that captivates both mind and heart. It’s not just about the political changes at face value, but rather how they shook society and its microcosm — the Burhan family.

With captivating style, masterful storytelling, and brilliant prose, Mahfouz presents an extremely eloquent work of literature. We often found ourselves stopped in our tracks by certain scenes and passages, to the point where we found ourselves repeatedly rereading some of them to enjoy their beauty and realism. Among those scenes were the depiction of Abdel Nasser’s resignation, his death, and his historic funeral. Mahfouz captures the contradictions of society in painstaking detail, presenting the reader with vignettes from five different decades.

If history and politics fall down your alley, or if you’re a fan of Mahfouz — particularly Morning and Evening Talk and The Harafish — then this novella is one you won’t want to miss out on. If you’re new to Mahfouz’s works, this is where to start given its short length and bingeable nature.

WHERE TO GET IT- You can find the novel in English at Diwan and find the ebook on Storytel. You can also find the original Arabic version at Diwan, Al Masriah Al Lubnaniah, and Aseer Al Kotob. You can also listen to the audiobook in Arabic on Storytel.

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