The Thief and the Dog - Naguib Mahfouz

A shorter late novel by Mahfouz. Interesting to compare him to Al Aswany. Mahfouz is more a feuilleton style, a social portrayal, not a social critique - at least in this book.  Mahfouz explores the lives of the underdogs and the poor of society but there are none of the nasty, evil characters of Aswany.  The drama in Mahfouz is more melodrama - betrayal, unrequited love, greed.  No deeper social critique, but a portrayal. a reflection of Everyman, or at least Everyman's somewhat romanticized view of himself.