UAE | General
Intellectuals emphasise Mahfouz's lasting impact
Breaking news reports in the Arab world early on Wednesday were not of the usual violence and politics in the Middle East, but the death of a renowned Arab literary and cultural figure Najeeb Mahfouz.
- By Abbas Al Lawati, Staff Reporter
- Published: 00:00 August 31, 2006
- Image Credit: Gulf News
- Dr Fatima Al Sayegh, professor of UAE history at UAE University, said she first introduced to Mahfouz's work when she was in grade six, but couldn't understand it well.
Dubai: Breaking news reports in the Arab world early on Wednesday were not of the usual violence and politics in the Middle East, but the death of a renowned Arab literary and cultural figure Najeeb Mahfouz.
The 1988 Nobel laureate for literature died on Wednesday in his native Egypt at the age of 94.
His winning Cairo Trilogy exposed Mahfouz abroad and led to the translation of his work to a number of languages. The series, named after three Cairene streets, was a depiction traditional urban life in the Egyptian capital.
UAE intellectuals responded to the death of the Egyptian writer by expressing sorrow, but emphasised Mahfouz's lasting effect on the Arab cultural scene.
Dr Fatima Al Sayegh, professor of UAE history at UAE University, said she first introduced to Mahfouz's work when she was in grade six, but couldn't understand it well.
"When I grew up and read his Cairo Trilogy again I saw it so differently. It held a totally different meaning to me then. I realised how deep his writings were. He made you feel like a character in the book," she said.
Dr Fatima said that at the time, only the best known books made it to the UAE so she read anything she got her hands on. Her brother, who was studying medicine in Cairo, would often bring her books to read. That is how she was introduced to Arab literary figures such as Mahfouz and Syrian poet Nizar Qabbani.
"Unfortunately, it's not very often that the Arab world produces people like Najeeb Mahfouz. I just hope that we don't have to wait another 100 years to get a figure like him," she added.
Iraqi theatrical director and writer Abdul Ilah Abdul Qader, who said he had been attached to Mahfouz's writings from an early age, described him as the "father of modern Arabic novel", who started a "revolution in Arabic literature."
"Mahfouz's half-a-century of contribution was not only to Arabic literature but Arabic cinema too. His work proved to be a great source of entertainment and showed real respect for the intelligence of his audience," he said
Abdul Qader said he didn't consider Mahfouz dead, saying he was alive in his conscience "despite not being around physically."
"I can enter my library and find Najeeb Mahfouz alive in his writings. He is as dead as Tolstoy and Shakespeare are," he added.
Bilal Al Budoor, assistant undersecretary of culture at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community Development, agreed that the Arab world was still producing notable writers and intellectuals, but blamed the media for not focusing on them.
"Unfortunately, many of the great Arab intellectuals are not getting the due attention today. Mahfouz was lucky to come at a time when we gave more value to such figures. Some accomplished Arabs are only acknowledged by us after they are recognised abroad" he said.
UAE writer Nasser Al Daheri expressed sorrow over Mahfouz's death and called it a "great loss for the Arabs."
Al Daheri said he met Mahfouz at a seminar in Cairo in the late 1990s where he spoke about "the philosophy of his life" and his native Cairo, its different streets and neighbourhoods.
The reason Mahfouz achieved such prominence, said Al Daheri, was because "he had lived through and witnessed a number generations, wars, political events regimes in his country, and chose to write about them."
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