Egyptian novelist and playwright. His novels, which deal with the urban working class, include the semi-autobiographical
Khan al-Kasrain/The Cairo Trilogy (195657). His book
Children of Gebelawi (1959) was banned in Egypt because of its treatment of religious themes. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1988.
His other novels include
Al-Lis s wa-al-Kilab/The Thief and the Dogs (1961),
Al-Shah h adh/The Beggar (1965), and
Miramar/Miramar (1967). He was seriously wounded in a knife attack by Islamic militants outside his home in Cairo in October 1994.
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