All this said, Autumn Quail will provide the Western reader with insights and reflections on the Egyptian Revolution and its progress, put into the mouths of Egyptian characters from different backgrounds and with varying social and political attitudes. Indeed, several themes of this work—alienation, political downfall, moral responsibility, to name a few—transcend the boundaries of independent national literary traditions and are to be found in much of contemporary world fiction. As for the characters themselves (quite apart from the intrinsic interest of their comments about politics, religion, and the world situation), the symbolic mesh within which Mahfouz illustrates their relationships gives this work a peculiar fascination.

ROGER ALLEN

* A listing of many of these works and translations into English can be found in my book The Arabic Novel: An Historical and Critical Introduction (Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 1982).

ONE

When the train drew to a halt, he could see no one waiting for him. Where was his secretary? Where were the office staff and the messengers? He looked among the people standing outside on the platform but failed to find anyone he recognized. What had happened? At the Canal the blow had been vicious, but was Cairo reeling as well?

He left his place in the front of the carriage and walked toward the exit, briefcase in hand, feeling irritated and tense, then worried, until, driven by some natural impulse, he began to examine people’s faces closely. They seemed to mirror a terrifying anxiety. He himself felt apprehensive. What was the cause? The massacre at the Canal the day before or some new miseries on the way? Should he ask people what was going on? No one had been waiting for him; nobody from his office had taken the trouble to come and meet him. Incredible behavior! These were strange days indeed.

His mind still held the bloody scenes at the Canal, the slaughtered policemen, their defenseless heroism. He still heard the earsplitting shouts of the young commando: “Where are you people? Where’s the government? Weren’t you the ones who proclaimed the holy war?”

“Yes!” he’d replied in anguish. “That’s why I’m standing here in the middle of nowhere.”

The young man had turned on him. “What we need is weapons!” he’d shouted. “Why aren’t you people providing them?”

“Money’s tight and the government’s position is precarious.”

“What about us? And the people whose homes have been destroyed?”

“I’m well aware of that. We all are. Be patient. We’ll do everything we can.”

“Or is it enough for you just to watch?” What fury! Just like fire.

But what was going on in Cairo?