Naguib Mahfouz, Voices from the Other World, 2004

Five little-known short stories that Mahfouz wrote between 1936 and 1945, centred around his explorations of ancient Egyptian history. They’re actually quite good fun (especially ‘Evil Adored’), told straight but always with a biting undercurrent that is either political or allegorical, bringing the time of the Pharaohs and their belief in the afterlife right up against the equally strange twentieth century.   PY