Naguib Mahfouz (1911–2006) is considered the greatest Arab writer of the twentieth century. He is the author of over thirty novels – including a number of masterpieces, such as The Cairo Trilogy and Children of the Alley. In 1988 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. Rasheed El-Enany is professor of Arabic and Comparative Literature at Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, as well as Professor Emeritus of Modern Arabic Literature, University of Exeter. He has authored several books on Naguib Mahfouz, including Naguib Mahfouz: His Life and Times. Russell Harris is an established translator of literary works from French and Arabic.

— Financial Times