1989: When Mahfouz's short story "Half a Day" was first published in Arabic in 1989, he had recently been awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, earning him instant international recognition. By this point, however, most of his novels and short story collections were not yet available in English translation.

Today: In the decade since he received the Nobel Prize for literature, more than half of Mahfouz's body of work has been published in English translation.

1922: Egypt gains independence from British rule. Today: Egypt, despite many social and political upheavals, remains a sovereign state and a United States ally.

1948: Israel is established as an independent state, ushering in a tumultuous period of con- flicts between Egypt and Israel.

1978: The signing of a peace treaty between Israel and Egypt initiated a new era in the relationship between the two nations.

Today: The relationship between Israel and Egypt is...