First of Mahfouz's work I've read - thanks to Rushdie's KNIFE - and it won't be the last. Superb.

Reading Rushdie’s KNIFE (it’s brilliant), and, as with every time I read Rushdie – quality of the work being immaterial – I’m overwhelmed by feelings of inadequacy and jealousy, not just as a writer but as a person. No other writer does that or even comes close: intriguing yet nettlesome.