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The Beginning and the End is a novel by Naguib Mahfouz, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature in 1988. An Egyptian, Naguib has been credited with modernizing Arabic literature, with his prolific writing style and his themes on existentialism. The novel is marked by very bold characterization by Naguib Mahfouz, for the time period that the story is set in. The story moves at a prolific pace and tries to look at the world from each characters view point.
The novel is set in Cairo in the late 1930s and deals with the trials and tribulations of a middle class family in the suburbs of Cairo who are struggling to keep out of poverty, after the death of the father, the sole breadwinner.
The family comprises the mother, Samira; the eldest son, Hassan; a grown up daughter, Nefisa; and teenage sons Hussein and Hassanein. Hassan, the eldest son, leaves home and becomes a local goon managing a coffee house. His live-in relationship with a prostitute is ignored by the family so long as he is able to meet the demands of his brothers. The family does not approve of his relationship or his work.