The Mirage

A unique psychological novel among Mahfouz’s body of work, it delves into the depths of the human psyche and explores its hidden secrets. It focuses on the character of Kamel Ru’ba Laz and the psychological and social environment in which he was raised, resulting in his psychological and behavioral crisis. This crisis began in his childhood and his relationship with his mother, who had divorced his abusive father and lost her two other sons, who were placed under the guardianship of her ex-husband. This led her to become obsessed with her son Kamel to the point of pathological attachment. Kamel became a prisoner of his relationship with his mother, marked by extreme shyness and social phobia, lacking confidence, and unable to confront society and the demands of life. The novel was published in 1948 and made the big screen in 1970.