The Coffeehouse

The Coffeehouse (1988) is a novel by Nobel-winning Egyptian writer Naguib Mahfouz; it was his last novel, although it was not his final work. The novel narrates the story of a group of friends in Al-Abasiya, who during their childhood united after coming from different directions, west and the east, in a playground, becoming life-long friends who took the coffeehouse as their main spot to talk about life.

The conversations throughout the novel touch upon cultural and religious aspects, aiming to depict life in Egypt in the old times from the author’s perspective, along with societal aspects and war happening nearby or among them, such as Palestine war, the death of Ahmed Maher, war between Ibrahim AbdulHadi and the society of “The Muslim Brotherhood”, Cairo fire, and the British conquest.

In addition, the novel sheds light on the cultural and religious differences between this group of friends and their families.