A new volume of three novels–previously published separately by Anchor–by Naguib Mahfouz, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature. Together with <b>The Beggar, The Thief and The Dogs, and Autumn Quail<i> </i></b>(published by Anchor in December 2000), these novels represent a comprehensive collection of Mahfouz's artful meditations on post-revolution Egypt. Diverse in style and narrative technique, they render a nuanced and universally resonant vision of modern life in the Middle East.<br><br><b>Respected Sir</b>, “a latter-day <b>Bleak House</b><i> </i>in Arabic” (<i>The New York Times</i>), revisits a familiar theme–vaulting ambition–in a powerful and religious metaphor. <b>Wedding Song</b><i>,</i> “one of Mahfouz's most enjoyable works” (<i>The Chicago Tribune</i>), is a psychological drama, focusing on how four very different kinds of minds apprehend and reckon with the realities that surround them. <i>The Search</i> is a powerful, lurid, and compelling story of lust, greed, and murder.