Arab word is commemorating the death anniversary of Naguib Mahfouz, a pioneering figure in contemporary Arabic literature. His influential writings have motivated countless authors over the years. The nuanced brilliance of his television series and films has made a significant impact on the Arab world.
Born in Cairo, on December 11, 1911, Mahfouz was an Egyptian novelist, journalist, and author of several short stories, who was one of Arab’s most popular writers.
He was well-known for his critical, realistic, and centrist approach to controversial topics like social equality and political global changes.
Moreover, his stories encompassed many relevant issues including poverty, injustice, and crime, almost always with a twist of humor.
Not someone who was afraid to speak his mind, he gave some of the most captivating nostalgic stories that are still regarded to be masterpieces.
Among his notable Khan Al-Khalili (1945), Midaq Alley (1947), The Mirage (1948), The Beginning and the End (1950), Palace Walk (1956), (Cairo Trilogy, Part 1), Palace of Desire (1957), (Cairo Trilogy, Part 2), Sugar Street (1957), (Cairo Trilogy, Part 3), Children of Gebelawi (1959), and The Thief and the Dogs.
Mahfouz was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1988, becoming the first Arabic-language writer to receive the prize.
Half of his remarkable novels have been made into movies that have circulated throughout the Arabic-speaking world.
In Egypt, each new publication is regarded as a major cultural event and his name is inevitably among the first mentioned in any literary discussion from the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean.
He was the people’s writer, and that’s how he will stay, how he will remain in their hearts and in their memories forever.
The author, whose prolific career saw a number of novels, short stories, and articles, passed away in 2006. He is survived by his two daughters, Fatima and Umm Kalthum.
Mahfouz’s seminal work has inspired generations of writers. The subtle genius of his series and movies has left a distinctive mark on the Arab world.
The author, whose prolific career saw a number of novels, short stories, and articles, passed away in 2006. He is survived by his two daughters, Fatima and Umm Kalthum.
On his death anniversary, here're some of his best books bellow:
1- THE CAIRO TRILOGY: Released in the 1950s, this monumental trilogy—comprising Palace Walk, Palace of Desire, and Sugar Street—explores the life of a merchant and his extended family residing in Islamic Cairo, a historic district of the capital where Mahfouz was born. The authoritative father figure looms large over three generations, weaving a narrative that spans the early decades of the 20th century.
2. THE CHILDREN OF GEBELAWI or THE CHILDREN OF THE ALLEY (1959): This novel depicts the figure of Gebelawi, a patriarch who isolates himself in a mansion he constructs within an oasis amidst a desolate desert, expelling his offspring. The narrative serves as an allegorical representation of the succession of prophets recognized in Islam, including Jesus and Moses—referred to as Eissa and Moussa in Arabic—culminating with the Prophet Mohammed. Initially serialized in Egyptian newspapers in 1959, the work faced a ban in Egypt. In 1994, a violent incident occurred when an assailant, motivated by a militant cleric's declaration of the novel as blasphemous, attacked Mahfouz.
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