Naguib Mahfouz was a widely read, popular novelist in Egypt and throughout the Arabic-speaking world for many years before he received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1988. Since that time, his regional fame has become global recognition, with English-language rights for his works commanding high prices and numerous magazines featuring profiles of him and his career. By establishing a context against which Mahfouz's work can be measured, this book helps to bridge the gap between the characterisation of Mahfouz as a writer of only regional importance and his emergence as an author of world-class significance. In this volume, scholars of Arabic language and literature show how Mahfouz's work transcends life in the ancient alleys of Cairo and speaks to all peoples in all cultures.