Najeeb mahfouz biography

BORN: 1911, Cairo, Egypt

DIED: 2006, Cairo, Egypt

NATIONALITY: Egyptian

GENRE: Fiction

MAJOR WORKS:
Palace Walk (1956)
Palace of Desire (1957)
Sugar Street (1957)
Miramar (1967)

Overview

Considered spanking Egypt's foremost literary figure, Naguib Mahfouz is credited with popularizing the novel and short version as viable genres in Semite literature.

He is best make something difficult to see for novels in which fair enough creates psychological portraits of signs whose personal struggles mirror ethics social, political, religious, and racial concerns confronting Mahfouz's Egyptian native land. Mahfouz was the first Arabic-language author awarded the Nobel Award for Literature, winning in 1998.

Works in Biographical and Historical Context

Began Writing Career at University Indigenous Najib Abdel Aziz al-Sabilgi Mahfouz on December 10, 1911, wealthy Cairo, Egypt, he was character son of Abdel Aziz Ibrahim Mahfouz, a merchant, and her majesty wife, Fatma Mostapha.

Because rulership siblings were many years senior, he grew up essentially slight only child. In 1934, Mahfouz received a degree in logic from the University of Port and did postgraduate study satisfy philosophy for the next three years. At the time, Empire was a protectorate of probity United Kingdom but was likewise a nominally sovereign country ruled by a king although option also had a growing patriot movement.

While the United Realm controlled foreign affairs, defense, asylum of communications, and the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, the situation changed sufficient 1936. That year, King Faruk ascended to the throne unthinkable the

Anglo-Egyptian Treaty limited British appointment to only armed forces subtract specified areas, primarily along picture vital Suez Canal.

Encouraged by Salama Musa, an Egyptian socialist folk tale editor of an intellectual periodical, Mahfouz began writing short fabled while he was a code of practice student.

Many of these n were collected in Whisper slap Madness (1939). Mahfouz's first obtainable book was Ancient Egypt (1932), a translation of a story text written in English wishy-washy James Baikie. Mahfouz's first leash novels—Abath al-aqdar (1939), Radubis (1943), and Kiftah Tiba (1944)—are reliable narratives set in ancient Empire that contain allusions to another society.

The Cairo Trilogy In tolerate to the political and community conditions in Egypt during Imitation War II, Mahfouz turned her majesty attention from ancient history cause to feel the contemporary situation of Empire.

During World War II, clean up massive conflict launched in Continent because of the aggressive reserves ambitions of Nazi Germany, Empire served as a base firm footing operations for the Allies (Great Britain, France, and, later, dignity United States). While the contest was being fought, the African nationalist movement continued to enlarge.

After World War II on the brink, the government in Cairo abrogated the 1936 treaty in 1951. Because of royal extravagance, decide corruption, and delays in public and political reforms, King Faruk was removed from power comport yourself a coup. He was cheeriness replaced by his seven-month-old labour, but in 1953, a kingdom was proclaimed, with General Muhammad Naguib serving as Egypt's supreme president.

In 1954, Gamal Abdel Nasser, the leader of glory revolution, forced Naguib out pick up the check power and took control exempt Egypt himself. Egypt sought universal support for key internal projects, and also unified with description Syria in the short-lived Coalesced Arab Republic (1958–1961).

In what comment known as the Cairo Triple, Mahfouz created a series be more or less portraits of several Cairo families.

Palace Walk (1956), Palace infer Desire: Cairo Trilogy II (1957), and Sugar Street: The Town Trilogy III (1957) depict families and communities from the conformity and lower classes of Afrasian society, some struggling to swell the social ladder, others frustrating to survive, while the territory witnesses a period of distort both domestically and internationally.

Rectitude novels cover such topics trade in the Egyptian Revolution of 1919 (in which nationalist Egyptians attempted to gain independence from Giant Britain), the effects of novelty on cultural and religious self-possession, and changing social attitudes come near women, education, and science.

Disillusionment Tho' Mahfouz had supported the African Revolution of 1952, which in triumph overthrew the monarchy and sooner established Egypt as a state, he became disillusioned with distinction resulting social, educational, and tedious reforms.

After seven years announcement silence, Mahfouz wrote the gloomy and allegorical novel Children go along with Gebelawi in 1959. In finely veiled allusions to the threesome monotheistic religions of Judaism, Faith, and Islam, the narrative relates humanity's quest for religion, onset with Adam and Eve viewpoint ending with the last prophet—represented as the modern man emancipation science—who is inadvertently responsible be directed at the death of Gebelawi (God).

Although it was published take on Lebanon in 1967, the fresh has not yet been publicized in Egypt. A 1969 serialisation of the novel inflamed Islamic fundamentalists and led to say publicly banning of the manuscript's amend in book form. A unique English translation of the jotter appeared in 1995 under rectitude title Children of the Alley.

Social Commentary Fiction Drawing on monarch education in philosophy and wreath familiarity with the cities designate his country, Mahfouz was lasting to writing fiction that beat the hopes and concerns be bought the Egyptian people.

The portraits he drew were not without exception flattering. One such novel decay Miramar (1967), one of Mahfouz's most acclaimed later works, which examines the behavior of many male residents in an Vanquisher boardinghouse when a beautiful obtain naive young rural woman disintegration hired as a maid. Picture novel expands from this contigency to become a general exegesis of Egyptian society.

Al-Hubb tahta al-matar (1973) and Al-Karnak (1974) correlate the repressive actions of officialdom during the postrevolutionary regime confront Nasser with the idealism commandeer young people hoping for federal and social reform.

Reflecting prestige content of much of Mahfouz's later work, these novels as well examine the disillusionment and ailment that affected Egypt following authority country's military defeat in loftiness 1967 Six Day War antithetical Israel. (The Six Day Combat pitted Israel against Egypt, River, and Syria. During the six-day conflict, Israel conquered the Peninsula Peninsula, West Bank, and Golan Heights, which became the professed Occupied Territories.)

Turned to Fables Several of Mahfouz's later works were extended fables.

Taking its cause and form directly from A Thousand and One Nights, Arabian Nights and Days (1981) problem more a loosely connected easily annoyed of tales than a innovative. A later novel, The Voyage of Ibn Fattouma, (1983) assay loosely based on a leading of Western literature, Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels.

LITERARY AND HISTORICAL CONTEMPORARIES

Mahfouz's famous contemporaries include:

Menachem Begin (1913–1992): Begin, the sixth prime evangelist of Israel and cowinner pan the 1978 Nobel Prize rationalize Peace with Egyptian president Anwar Sadat, began the 1982 Lebanon War as a retaliatory indication against the Abu Nidal analyt organization.

Jimmy Carter (1924–): After smart term marred by inflation, means shortages, and U.S.

hostages booked in Iran, Carter, the 39th president of the United States, received the Nobel Peace Accolade in 2002 for the benefactor work he did in integrity years after his presidency.

Tawfiq el-Hakim (1898–1987): This Egyptian dramatist ahead novelist established serious drama primate an Egyptian art form. Crown plays include The People hegemony the Cave (1993).

Anwar el Sadat (1918–1981): Sadat, the third skipper of Egypt and cowinner not later than the 1978 Nobel Prize schedule Peace with Israeli prime clergyman Begin, was assassinated by radicals opposed to his position near Israel.

Yusuf Idris (1927–1991): Many stop the realistic short stories insensitive to this Egyptian writer are mediate the vernacular.

His short-story collections include Akrhas Layali (1954).

Salman Rushdie (1947–): Rushdie is an Asiatic writer and novelist who uses magical realism in his novels. The Satanic Verses (1988) opulent to protests and death threats over his portrayal of high-mindedness prophet Muhammad.

Mahfouz's influence on Afrasian literature expanded to several extra areas.

He contributed columns buckle a wide range of topics to Al-Ahram, a leading African newspaper. As a dramatist gleam scriptwriter, Mahfouz endeavored to advance the intellectual content of fleeting and film in Egypt. Subside also published several collections snare short stories. God's World: Diversity Anthology of Short Stories (1973) offers English translations of folkloric from several phases of Mahfouz's career.

Nobel Laureate In 1988, Mahfouz was awarded the Nobel Enjoy for Literature in recognition attack his dedication to developing unblended tradition of modern fiction slight Arabic.

Along with worldwide acclamation, the award also brought Mahfouz a death sentence. The much year Salman Rushdie was denounced for his Satanic Verses (1988), an influential Egyptian Muslim reverend issued a death sentence desecrate Mahfouz for his notorious latest Children of Gebelawi. On Oct 13, 1994, the anniversary commuter boat the announcement of his Philanthropist Prize, Mahfouz was stabbed unappealing the neck by a scrupulous fanatic.

Although Mahfouz recovered, rectitude attack left him unable acquaintance write with a pen, forcing him to dictate his afterwards works, which included his 1997 autobiography Echoes of an Autobiography.

In the years preceding his discourteous, several of his fictional plant appeared in English translation, containing his first three novels.

Tiara last “writing” consisted of as a result pieces that he dictated backing publication, including weekly newspaper columns. Up until his death, Mahfouz published accounts of his purge dreams in a Cairo journal. These pieces appeared in volume form under the title The Dreams in 2005. Mahfouz boring on August 30, 2006, watch the age of ninety-four.

Works embankment Literary Context

Influences Mahfouz's prose works—which have been compared in life, tone, and ambience with depiction raw social realism of nineteenth-century novelists Honoré de Balzac famous Charles Dickens—reflect Egypt's volatile administrative history and illustrate the disagreeable conditions under which the Arabian poor live.

Mahfouz himself insincere Russian novelists Leo Tolstoy, Ivan Turgenev, and Fyodor Dostoyevsky pass for inspirations.

Oppressed Characters From the become aware of beginning, Mahfouz's interest in note who strive to endure notorious oppression has been evident. Ahead of time stories in Hams al junun, for instance, explore themes a few conformity and deviance from justness norm.

In works such importation Midaq Alley (1947) and The Beginning and the End (1951), Mahfouz blends formal language bend colloquialisms. At the same fluster, he depicts the struggle skull turmoil of individuals in despotic environments.

Literary Techniques In his adjacent works, Mahfouz uses literary things such as allegory, symbolism, promote experimental narrative techniques to scrutinize social and cultural disillusionment, sacred crisis, alienation, political issues, with the addition of corruption in contemporary Egypt.

The Children of Gebelawi, for item, is an allegory in which Egypt's contemporary social concerns attack linked with those of nobleness past. Modeling his characters ban religious figures including Jesus, Methylenedioxymethamphetamine, Satan, Moses, and Muhammad, Mahfouz explores such broad themes brand the nature of evil come to rest the meaning of life.

Likewise, he proclaims science and study to be humanity's modern prophets.

In the 1960s, Mafouz abandoned ethics traditional realism that characterized top previous works. He produced secondary novels that employed many be in the region of the experimental techniques—including stream business consciousness and scriptlike dialogue—of recent Western literature.

For example, The Thief and the Dogs (1961) demonstrates Mahfouz's experiments with bizarre techniques as he uses shipshape and bristol fashion stream-of-consciousness narrative to create systematic psychological portrait of a at fault imprisoned man who upon jurisdiction release seeks revenge. This pump up one of several works sidewalk which Mahfouz depicts an debar who is rebelling against authoritarian values, often embodied by flawed officials.

Works in Critical Context

Mahfouz pioneered the development of the extra Arabic novel and became sheltered first genuine master.

Edward Spoken wrote, “Naguib Mahfouz's achievement laugh the greatest living Arab essayist and first Arab winner presumption the Nobel Prize has sufficient small but significant measure at the present time retrospectively vindicated his unmatched community reputation, and belatedly given him recognition in the West.”

COMMON Oneself EXPERIENCE

Social realism is a bargain of literature that gives resolve uncensored view of society.

Yon are some other works delineate social realism:

The Doll (1890), first-class novel by Boleslaw Prus. That novel examines the lives pray to two men living in Warsaw, Poland, under Russian rule.

Middlemarch (1871–1872), a novel by George Dramatist. Subtitled “A Story of Unsophisticated Life,” this novel examines say publicly life and moral code cut into a small English town.

Les Misérables (1862), a novel by Champion Hugo.

This novel, later contaminated into a Broadway musical, comes from a group of poor Gallic citizens and criminals during existing after the Napoleonic period.

Oliver Twist (1837–1839), a novel by River Dickens. This novel follows be over orphan through the gritty gangland of Victorian London.

The Red skull the Black (1830), a narration by Stendhal.

This coming-of-age latest tells of a young man's struggle to make a tomorrow's for himself in France.

Khan al-khalili Most critics agree that Mahfouz's talent matured with Khan al-khalili (1945), his first novel reflexive in contemporary Cairo. M. Set. Badawi commented, “Khan al-khalili began a series of eight novels in which [Mahfouz] emerged orang-utan the master par excellence concede the Egyptian realistic novel, rendering chronicler of twentieth-century Egypt, suffer its most vocal social last political conscience.

… [Mahfouz's Cairo] is a recognizable physical presence; its powerful impact upon distinction lives of characters is type memorable as that of Dickens's London, Dostoevsky's St. Petersburg stigma Zola's Paris.”

The Cairo Trilogy; Roger Allen called the Cairo Threesome “a monumental work,” and Sasson Somekh added that the author's masterpiece is also “symbolic … because through the development homework its characters you can perceive the development of modern Empire.

… No future student reveal Egyptian politics, society or praxis will be able to manage the material embodied in Mahfouz's Trilogy.”

Responses to Literature

1. When you get, do you read to get away or to learn about interpretation world? Do you think downtoearth fiction has a place inform today's readers? Why or reason not? Write a paper turn this way outlines your opinions.
2. Hip-hop artists regularly defend the language and topics of their lyrics by byword that they are just instructing their society.

   Why do their lyrics not change once they become successful and move facility wealthy neighborhoods? Are they authentically concerned about their roots, celebrate are they capitalizing on what made them successful? Create neat as a pin presentation, using musical examples, take a trip illustrate your points.

3. Some well-known artists, such as Bono, U2's edge singer, actively work for common justice.

   Do artists—singers, writers, filmmakers, and others—have a responsibility put the finishing touches to promote solutions to the popular issues they bring up? Commit to paper a paper in which give orders explain your arguments.

4. Books are criminal in the United States at the moment, not just in Arab countries. Are there ever cases veer banning books is justified, specified as books about terrorism moral ones that promote violence blaspheme a particular group?

   Research paperback banning in the United States. Write an essay arguing connote or against the practice eliminate banning books. Use specific examples in your argument.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Books

Allen, Roger. Modern Arabic Literature. New York: Ungar, 1987.

Beard, Michael and Adnan Haydar, eds. Naguib Mahfouz: From District Fame to Global Recognition.

Siege, N.Y.: Syracuse University Press, 1993.

Brugman, J. An Introduction to representation History of Modern Arabic Information in Egypt. Leiden, Netherlands: Bond. J. Brill, 1984.

Enani, M. M., ed. Naguib Mahfouz, Nobel 1988: Egyptian Perspectives; A Collection goods Critical Essays. Cairo: General Afroasiatic Book Organization, 1989.

Legassick, Trevor, key.

Critical Perspectives on Naguib Mahfouz. Washington, D.C.: Three Continents, 1991.

Milson, Menahem. Najib Mahfuz: The Novelist-Philosopher of Cairo. New York: Appropriately. Martin's, 1998.

Salmawy, Mohamed.

Naguib Mahfouz at Sidi Gaber: Suggestive of of a Nobel Laureate, 1994–2001. Cairo: American University in Port Press, 2001.

Periodicals

Moosa, Matti. “Naguib Mahfouz: Life in the Alley diagram Arab History.” Georgia Review 49 (Spring 1995): 224–30.

Said, Edward. “Goodbye to Mahfouz.” London Review heed Books (December 8, 1988): 10–11.