O sussurro das estrelas by Naguib Mahfouz
O sussurro das estrelas (“The Whisper of Stars”) is a compilation of eighteen previously unknown short stories by Egyptian Nobel laureate in literature Naguib Mahfouz (Mahfuz in the transliteration to Portuguese). What all these stories have in common is their placement in the Egyptian “hara”, a typical alley or quarter that the author was not only very familiar with, but also frequently cited in his fiction.
The cover art for this edition was inspired by geometric patterns found in Al-Nasir Muhammad mosque in Cairo. Throughout the book, other patterns found in mosques around the world serve as small windows that give the reader a peak into Cairo daily life in the early twentieth century, particularly the comings and goings of its inhabitants and the bustling life of the “hara”. As a translator and scholar of Arabic literature, Roger Allen writes in the introduction:
The hara is the location of all the differently titled segments, but, as is the case with the other works […], that location also assumes a broader and more symbolic function as the site of a sample of human society, with all its foibles, conflicts, relationships, triumphs and defeats.
This edition is hardbound in gold-printed laminated paper with pattern embossing and painted edges in indigo blue. The typeface Grifito, set in lowercase, was chosen for the cover art for its angular serifs and terminals. The f in “mahfuz” was altered and given a slight descender to balance out the top portion of the cover design.
