''The Mirage'' (Arabic السراب Al-Sarab) is a 1948

Egyptian Egyptian describes something of, from, or related to Egypt. Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to: Nations and ethnic groups * Egyptians, a national group in North Africa ** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of years of ...

novel by

Naguib Mahfouz Naguib Mahfouz Abdelaziz Ibrahim Ahmed Al-Basha ( arz, نجيب محفوظ عبد العزيز ابراهيم احمد الباشا, ; 11 December 1911 – 30 August 2006) was an Egyptian writer who won the 1988 Nobel Prize in Literature. ...

. The novel was filmed as al-Sarab (The Mirage) by Anwar al-Shinawi. Mahfouz has said that it is a personal novel based on his upbringing. Novel translated to English by Nancy Roberts.

Plot

The narrator, Kamel, recounts the story of his childhood in Cairo. Kamel lives in his grandfather's home with his divorced mother. His mother is very caring and pampers him excessively, until he becomes shy and isolated from others. He sleeps in the same bed with her until he is 25. Kamel struggles in school due to his shyness, and he attends a university but fails to graduate. He gets a government job and marries a teacher, but discovers on his wedding night that he is

impotent Erectile dysfunction (ED), also called impotence, is the type of sexual dysfunction in which the penis fails to become or stay erect during sexual activity. It is the most common sexual problem in men.Cunningham GR, Rosen RC. Overview of male ...

. Kamel sees a psychiatrist to try to overcome his impotence, and eventually begins a sexual relationship with a

prostitute Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-penet ...

. His mother and wife both die, and he decides to continue his relationship with the prostitute.

References

Novels by Naguib Mahfouz 1948 novels {{1940s-Egypt-novel-stub