Naguib Mahfouz
Writer

Born in Cairo in 1911, Naguib Mahfouz has witnessed nearly a century of Egypt's development. During this time he has made impressive contributions to his country's cultural life: he has written some three dozen novels as well as several volumes of short stories, many of which have been translated into several languages. In 1988 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature, the first Arab writer to be so honoured.

In Mahfouz's lifetime, enormous changes have occurred, which he has chronicled during his long career. But when asked to identify a constant quality in the spirit of his country, the world-famous author does not hesitate. "The patience of the Egyptian people in the face of catastrophes," he says.
He has had to face tragedies of his own. His 1959 novel Children of the Alley was denounced by religious leaders as blasphemous and banned in Egypt. In 1994 he was stabbed in the neck by two Egyptian Islamic militants, who disapproved of his writings.

He is, though, a devout follower of Islam who is deeply concerned about his country. "We are at the gates of times that may be very dangerous?God only knows how dangerous," he says. "The current economic crisis has reached extreme degrees." He wonders about Egypt's future role in the world. "It is hard to tell how globalization will affect us," he admits. "We must go through it. Are we going to develop like the rest of the world? And at the same time keep what makes us special?our roots and our traditions?" What does he consider foremost among those traditions? "Religion," he declares. "Also the parts of our behaviour patterns and heritage that have remained throughout the years in the region, such as the literary classics like A Thousand and One Nights."

Mahfouz is most famous for his major work, a set of three novels known as The Cairo Trilogy. They depict the life of family over three generations from World War I to the 1950s, when King Farouk was overthrown. As with most of his stories, The Cairo Trilogy is set in the densely populated old quarters of Cairo, such as the Gamaliya district where he grew up. One of his novels, Midaq Alley, follows the mostly tragic fates of the people living and working on a tiny, poor Cairo street. Mahfouz has unflinchingly depicted the difficulties faced by ordinary Egyptians; thus, when asked what advice he would give to a young writer, his answer is not surprising: "To be honest with himself and the subject he is dealing with. To be open to all cultures and all times."

Although Mahfouz's hearing and sight now are both very weak, he still gathers with friends and admirers every Monday night at a Cairo hotel to talk about literature and politics, and he continues to write a weekly newspaper column.
In his Nobel prize acceptance speech, Mahfouz said that he was the son of two civilizations, the pharaonic and the Islamic He then told a story of how after one victorious battle against Bvzannum, the Muslims bad given back their prisoners
of war in exchange for books of the ancient Greek heritage in philosophy, medicine, and mathematics. "This," he said, "is a testimony of value for the human spirit in its demand for knowledge."