Naguib MahfouzAwards:
Nobel Prize in Literature-1988
Born: 11/12/1911 in Cairo, Egypt
Died: 30/08/2006 in Cairo, Egypt
Citizen: Egyptian
Language: Arabic
Influence: Hafiz Najib, Taha Hussein, Salama
Moussa
Marriage: Married a Muslim woman Atiya at
the age of 43.
Naguib Pasha Mahfouz was born to a lower
middle-class family and was the youngest child of his parents. He was
named after the surgeon who delivered him. His father was a Civil
Servant and he himself joined Egyptian Civil Service and served till
1972. His final assignment was Consultant to Ministry of Culture. As a
child, his mother would often take him to Museums and the fleeting
history of the land would often be the sub conscious theme of his
works as also the surrounding of the Cairo suburb Abbasiyah
where he spent most interesting part of his life. His upbringing was
strictly Islamic and he himself wondered in later years how such an
ambience produced a writer.
In 1918, the First World War War ended and
there was massive unrest in Egypt to free the country from the
clutches of the British. Egyptian Revolution of 1919 erupted in full
swing and the Young Mahfouz would very often quietly watch the
commotion in the streets from his window and firing by British
soldiers upon the demonstrators. The events of the revolution had a
deep impact on him.
Mahfouz was inclined to writing from
his young days. His famous Cairo Trilogy, Palace Walk, Palace of
Desire and Sugar Street were penned in 1950s. Since then, he has
produced 34 novels and nearly 350 short stories.
Mahfouz believed in Freedom of Speech. When
Salman Rushdie's Satanic Verse was in the midst of a raging
controversy, Mahfouz decried the contents of the book but defended
Rushdie and also decried the fatwa against Rushdie. This angered the
Islamic Fundamentalists who were after his blood. Added to this was
the controversy surrounding his own novel, Children of Gebelawi. In
1994, Islamic extremists stabbed him fatally in neck outside his Cairo
home and almost succeeded in assassinating him. The incident
permanently damaged his vital nerves and he could not write more than
few minutes at a time. He also was given police protection and mostly
was confined to his home. His writing pace also practically came to a
standstill.
In the month of July, 2006, he had a bad fall &
sustained injuries in head and was hospitalized. A few days later, he
breathed his last. Mahfouz was given funeral with state honor.
Landmarks: 3rd recipient
of the Prize for writing in Asiatic language, the first being
Rabindranath Tagore(1913, Bengali) followed by Yasunari
Kwabata(1968,Japanese). He is the only Arabic writer to have received
the prize as on June 2013. Prior to his death, he was the oldest
living Nobel Laureate and third oldest of all time trailing only
Bertrand Russel & Haldor Laxness. He is the second African writer to
get the Prize in literature after Wole Soyinka (1986) of Nigeria.
Notable Works:
Midaq Alley(1947) ;Al-Serab-
The Mirage(1948),
Palace Walk(1956);
Palace of Desire(1957) ;Sugar
Street(1957);Children of
Gebelawi(1959)
;Al-Liss wal Kilab-
The Thief and the Dog(1961), Fountain & Tomb(1988);
Echoes of an Autobiography(1994);
The Devil Preaches(1979);
Love above the Pyramid Plateau(1979)
Order Naguib Mahfouz's Books below
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