Naguib Mahfouz, RIP
Nobel prize-winning Arabic novelist and short story writer Naguib Mahfouz is dead at 94.
Do yourself a favor and read him. If you want a window on Arab culture, forget the posturing politicians (who mostly actually work in English and French), and the American pundits who interpret the Arab world to us without knowing Arabic or having lived in the Arab world (sort of as though Aljazeera's correspondent who reported on Washington, DC, government affairs did not know English and had never visited the United States; believe me, it would not happen.)
Read Mahfouz.
I suggest you start with Midaq Alley, set in a fast-changing lower middle class neighborhood of Cairo during the British occupation of World War II. If you ever wondered what the Egyptians were thinking as Montgomery duelled Rommel, here is the most painless way possible to find out. The characters alone, and they are characters, are worth the price of admission.
posted by Juan Cole @ 8/31/2006 12:33:00 AM
|
Facebook
5 Comments:
Dear Professor Cole
When people are looking for something else to read after they finish the Cairo trilogy they might try
The Yacoubian Building
I was given it as a present and started reading it on the plane from Egypt. Its focus on sex is startling. Its pen pictures of a society are riveting. It is impossible not to empathise with at least one of the characters.
Ala al Aswany is great fun.
It is astonishing to find how much great Arabic literature is virtually unknown in US and UK.
The world has lost a giant, but at least God has agreed to share him with us thanks to the literary gifts he left us.
I would like to recommend "The Journey of Ibn Fattouma by Mahfouz" as well.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0385423349/menavista-20
A work of fiction might seem a strange way to introduce readers to the Middle East, but in The Journey of Ibn Fattouma Nobel prize winning author Naguib Mahfouz gives more insights into the Arab view of the world than many textbooks manage. Utilizing the metaphoric journeys of a young man struck with the travel bug, we see Ibn Fattouma travel through various countries representing different corners of the world and socio-political systems. From societies representing tribal Africa, to Eastern Europe, to America, and several other locations, Ibn Fattouma learns much but never seems quite able to find where the utopian land of Gebel can be found. The book is short, entertaining, and a fascinating insight into how Arab society sees the rest of the world. From Ibn Fattouma's perspective, no society escapes criticism or praise, all have their benefits and drawbacks, and all leave him hungrier than ever for the ideal society that always seems just beyond his reach.
I read Naguib Mahfouz's "Cairo Trilogy" shortly after he received his Nobel prize for literature. His description of the city and characters was wonderful, so real that I almost groaned when the "bad" son made appearance after appearance, always wreaking havoc wherever he went.
I read it in English in a very good translation. Unfortunately, I would not be able to appreciate what people say was his masterful grasp and beautiful use of Arabic. Better a good translation that not reading it all, I suppose.
I have read Midaq Alley and I will read it again. It was excellent.
Found a free copy of _Paradise Walk_ and read it a few months ago then passed it on to a female friend. Mahfouz is indeed a fine writer. I found the book extremely interesting in revealing the depradations of patriarchy and the layers of attitudes between the sexes and the generations. Lots to think about.
My female friend enjoyed the novel in how it dealt with the different body images and types of the women (and men).
Just found the other two books in the Cairo Trilogy, again for free, and will pass them on to my friend before I read them but I look forward to spending some more time in that world.
During the dissolution of the former Yugoslavia, my sister recommended reading _The Bridge on the Drina_ by Ivo Andric and one incident in that book, a Jew and a Christian, both young idealistic men, talking on the bridge about what has brought them together and what will inevitably tear them apart gave me more context for that struggle than anything else I read or saw.
A good storyteller tells lies that tell the truth better than the most accurate report of actual facts can.
Post a Comment
<< Home