Children of GebelawiChildren of Gebelawi
Score Classic
What it's about
In an alley in Cairo, a mighty patriarch, Gebelawi, lives shut away in his mansion. Generation after generation, his descendants struggle against the bullies who rule their alley, and a series of leaders rise to bring justice, each echoing a prophet: Adam, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad, and finally a man of science.
Why it's worth reading
It's on the Bokklubben list of the 100 greatest books, and Mahfouz won the Nobel Prize. It's a daring allegory of the history of religion, so controversial that it was banned in Egypt and Mahfouz was stabbed by an extremist decades later.
You'll love it if you liked
The Master and Margarita
The Metamorphoses
Memoirs of HadrianGood to know
It's also translated as Children of the Alley. It reads as a sequence of linked parables.
By the numbers
- Readers59 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics55 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller13 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #124 of the 309 literary novels we rank
- #334 of the 762 classics we rank
- #1090 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Moving
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The Color Purple
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Quick answers
Is Children of Gebelawi worth reading?
Yes. It's on the Bokklubben list of the 100 greatest books, and Mahfouz won the Nobel Prize. It ranks #1,090 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 72.0 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Children of Gebelawi about?
In an alley in Cairo, a mighty patriarch, Gebelawi, lives shut away in his mansion. Generation after generation, his descendants struggle against the bullies who rule their alley, and a series of leaders rise to bring justice, each echoing a prophet: Adam, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad, and finally a man of science.
How long does it take to read Children of Gebelawi?
About 9 hours (355 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Children of Gebelawi?
If you liked it, try The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov, The Metamorphoses by Ovid or Memoirs of Hadrian by Marguerite Yourcenar.