The Beginning and the End

Naguib Mahfouz’s *The Beginning and the End* is a novel of stark social realism set in the crowded, impoverished quarters of Cairo. The narrative follows a family’s slow disintegration as economic hardship and moral compromise erode their dignity. Through the lives of its characters, the novel explores the crushing weight of poverty and the difficult choices individuals make to survive within a rigid social hierarchy.

Description adapted from Open Library bibliographic data ↗.