Echoes of an Autobiography

Winner of the Nobel Prize 

Mahfouz’s first nonfiction book published in the United States is a collection of autobiographical reflections reminiscent of such works as Pascal’s Pensées. The short and pithy passages Mahfouz presents are not simply a narration of incidents in his life, but a personal reflection on situations and events that have lodged in his memory and influenced him. A departure from his acclaimed fiction, Echoes of an Autobiography shows Mahfouz to be not only a wonderful storyteller, but a profound thinker as well.

Translated by Denys Johnson-Davies.

“A haunting commonplace book of tranquil wisdom.” —Kirkus Reviews

“This mosaic of autobiographical vignettes, reflections, allegories, childhood memories, dream visions, and Sufi-like spiritual maxims and paradoxes is a deep pool of wisdom that confirms his stature as a writer of universal appeal.” —Publishers Weekly