Egyptian novelist Al-Ghitani shares the memories, opinions, and even jokes of his friend and fellow novelist Naguib Mahfouz (1911-2006) as he spoke them in intimate gatherings of friends over the last decade or so or his life. Among the topical sections are childhood, out of the shadows and into the limelight, The Cairo Trilogy, politics and the July Revolution, the cinema, the first and greatest love, marriage and family, Cairo and Alexandria, and reality and invention. Other sections describe the gatherings themselves. A glossary of names and a few notes are provided, but no index. Al-Majalis al-mahfuziya was published in 2006 by Dar El Shorouk. Among the translation efforts of Davies is a 2007 book by al-Ghitani. Distributed in the US by International Publishers Marketing (IPM). Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)