{"product_id":"the-journey-of-ibn-fattouma-by-naguib-mahfouz","title":"'The Journey of Ibn Fattouma' by Naguib Mahfouz","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"\"\u003e\n\u003csection class=\"text-token-text-primary w-full focus:outline-none has-data-writing-block:pointer-events-none [\u0026amp;:has([data-writing-block])\u0026gt;*]:pointer-events-auto R6Vx5W_threadScrollVars scroll-mb-[calc(var(--scroll-root-safe-area-inset-bottom,0px)+var(--thread-response-height))] scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]\" dir=\"auto\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"text-base my-auto mx-auto pb-10 [--thread-content-margin:var(--thread-content-margin-xs,calc(var(--spacing)*4))] @w-sm\/main:[--thread-content-margin:var(--thread-content-margin-sm,calc(var(--spacing)*6))] @w-lg\/main:[--thread-content-margin:var(--thread-content-margin-lg,calc(var(--spacing)*16))] px-(--thread-content-margin)\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"[--thread-content-max-width:40rem] @w-lg\/main:[--thread-content-max-width:48rem] mx-auto max-w-(--thread-content-max-width) flex-1 group\/turn-messages focus-visible:outline-hidden relative flex w-full min-w-0 flex-col agent-turn\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"flex max-w-full flex-col gap-4 grow\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv dir=\"auto\" class=\"min-h-8 text-message relative flex w-full flex-col items-end gap-2 text-start break-words whitespace-normal outline-none keyboard-focused:focus-ring [.text-message+\u0026amp;]:mt-1\" tabindex=\"0\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"flex w-full flex-col gap-1 empty:hidden\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"markdown prose dark:prose-invert wrap-break-word w-full dark markdown-new-styling\"\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eWritten after the work that secured Naguib Mahfouz the Nobel Prize, \u003cem\u003eThe Journey of Ibn Fattouma\u003c\/em\u003e is one of his strangest and most elegant novels. \u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDrawing inspiration from the great medieval traveller Ibn Battuta, Mahfouz sends his protagonist on a lifelong pilgrimage through a succession of imagined lands, each embodying a different social order, moral code and vision of civilisation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLeaving his homeland in search of justice, wisdom and truth, Ibn Fattouma journeys through kingdoms shaped by tradition, militarism, equality, religious devotion and utopian ambition. Each destination promises a better world than the last, yet each reveals its own contradictions and failures. What begins as an adventure gradually becomes an inquiry into the impossible question that haunts political and spiritual life alike: can a perfect society exist, and if it can, what must be sacrificed to create it?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUnlike the sprawling realism of the Cairo Trilogy, this is Mahfouz working in a leaner, almost mythical register. The novel feels timeless and contemporary at once, unfolding like a philosophical travelogue whose concerns—faith, authority, freedom, justice and the search for meaning—remain stubbornly unresolved. It is a remarkably accessible entry point into Mahfouz's work while also being one of his most rewarding.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTranslated by the great Denys Johnson-Davies, whose translations introduced generations of English-language readers to modern Arabic literature.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFirst Anchor Books edition, 1993. Good condition with light shelf wear, clean pages and a sound binding.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/section\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"bower studio","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45725849616467,"sku":null,"price":17.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0689\/0268\/2707\/files\/thebowerbooker-2026-06-22T202325.905.png?v=1782123899","url":"https:\/\/bowerbooks.com\/products\/the-journey-of-ibn-fattouma-by-naguib-mahfouz","provider":"bower books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}