Mohamed TawfikBOOKSHELF

Mohamed Tawfik is an Egyptian author. Click on his name to visit his personal page.

His novel “A naughty boy called Antar” was our readers club selection for January 2004.
Click here for links to our readers discussion on his novel and our special dossier on him

The novel is now available in English under the title Murder in the Tower of Happiness published by AUC press as well as Arabia in the UK
Read a review by Lisa Kaaki
Rare Thriller from the Arab World
In English

Murder in the Tower of Happiness (Hardcover)

“When the first armchair smashed into the asphalt, Sergeant Ashmouni was at his usual spot on the median of the Nile Corniche, trapped by the road’s twin currents turbulently flowing forth to Maadi and back to Old Cairo. He was wiping the sweat away from his eyes with his worn out sleeve-and in the process adding a new stain to his white traffic-police uniform-when surprise from the thunderous impact catapulted him into the fast lane of the side of the road closest to the Nile.”

Thus opens this fast-paced city thriller laced with dry humor that takes us inside Borg al-Saada-’Tower of Happiness,’ one of the luxury high-rises planted like alien bodies amid the fields along the Nile south of Cairo-and inside the sordid lives and lavish lifestyles of its super-rich and famous denizens. The naked, strangled body of Ahlam, a beautiful young actress, is discovered in one of the elevators, and as the police investigation gets under way, we meet many of the tower’s strange characters: the owner’s agent, Kasib Bey, overweight, toupeed, and decked in gold chains; wealthy contractor Abd al-Tawab Mabruk Basha (Tutu Basha to his friends), insomniac since Ahlam’s murder; Abd al-Malak, a psychic with a Ph.D. in genetic engineering from MIT; Farah, his erstwhile sweetheart, who has become one of the very candy dolls she used to scorn; belly-dancer Lula Hamdi, who would be able to see Timbuktu if she stood on top of a pile of all her money; Madame Esmeralda, the society lady from Chile; and the homely Dr. Mahgub, somewhat less well off than his neighbors. And of course there is Antar-the naughty boy-who roams the tower, enters apartments, and overhears conversations, unsettling and exposing the decadent occupants and their relationships.

The Day the Moon Fell
Translated by A.Amin
Cairo- Dar el-Fikr el-Arabi 1997
short stories 176 pages

Price $8
now only availalble in electronic form with permission from the author.

Both versions of The Day the Moon Fell were studied in 1989 by Students of Comparative Literature at George Town University .
Tawfik writes in both languages and half of these stories were originally written in English.

In Arabic

"An exciting novel that captivated me from page one, with its original plot, its firm grasp on the Egyptian situation and its author's skill." With these words Sonallah Ibrahim describes Mohamed Tawfik's second novel entitled "A naughty boy called Antar," which has just been issued by Miret publishing house. While employing the genre of a fast moving thriller, the author attempts to uncover the intricate dilemmas of Egyptian society. He deploys an original structure with multiple layers and plot lines and does not shy from mixing genres. The end product blends social satire with metaphysics, political analysis with suspense, comedy with intellectual stimulation.	A naughty boy called Antar Merit Publishing September 2003 363 Pages Price $6.00 Now translated into English under the title Murder in the Tower of Happiness
	Agamyste A collection of short stories Cairo- Dar el-Fikr el-Arabi 1997 136 pages Price $4.50

Hatta Matla' el-fagr 'Til the Break of Dawn A novella Cairo- Dar el-Fikr el-Arabi 1997 90 pages Price $4

	El-Farashat El-Baida' The White Butterflies short stories Cairo-G.E.B.O.1995 124 pages Price $5
Laila fi Hayat Abdeltawwab Tutu A Night in the life of Abdel-Tawwab Tutu Cairo- Dar el-Fikr el-Arabi 1996 A novel 504 pages Price $7

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