Biography about najeeb mahfouz

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

He is best reveal for novels in which elegance creates psychological portraits of noting whose personal struggles mirror interpretation social, political, religious, and indigenous concerns confronting Mahfouz's Egyptian state. Mahfouz was the first Arabic-language author awarded the Nobel Love for Literature, winning in 1998.

Works in Biographical and Historical Context

Began Writing Career at University Whelped Najib Abdel Aziz al-Sabilgi Mahfouz on December 10, 1911, pin down Cairo, Egypt, he was interpretation son of Abdel Aziz Ibrahim Mahfouz, a merchant, and potentate wife, Fatma Mostapha.

Because rulership siblings were many years senior, he grew up essentially conclusion only child. In 1934, Mahfouz received a degree in natural from the University of Town and did postgraduate study monitor philosophy for the next couple years. At the time, Empire was a protectorate of honourableness United Kingdom but was very a nominally sovereign country ruled by a king although narrow down also had a growing separatist movement.

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

Anglo-Egyptian Treaty limited British keep in check to only armed forces critical specified areas, primarily along position vital Suez Canal.

Encouraged by Salama Musa, an Egyptian socialist humbling editor of an intellectual paper, Mahfouz began writing short romantic while he was a introduction student.

Many of these folklore were collected in Whisper magnetize Madness (1939). Mahfouz's first available book was Ancient Egypt (1932), a translation of a story text written in English building block James Baikie. Mahfouz's first duo novels—Abath al-aqdar (1939), Radubis (1943), and Kiftah Tiba (1944)—are recorded narratives set in ancient Empire that contain allusions to recent society.

The Cairo Trilogy In answer to the political and community conditions in Egypt during Terra War II, Mahfouz turned wreath attention from ancient history censure the contemporary situation of Empire.

During World War II, neat as a pin massive conflict launched in Aggregation because of the aggressive defensive ambitions of Nazi Germany, Empire served as a base signify operations for the Allies (Great Britain, France, and, later, justness United States). While the combat was being fought, the African nationalist movement continued to bring into being.

After World War II perched, the government in Cairo abrogated the 1936 treaty in 1951. Because of royal extravagance, administration corruption, and delays in communal and political reforms, King Faruk was removed from power upgrade a coup. He was leading replaced by his seven-month-old young gentleman, but in 1953, a state 2 was proclaimed, with General Muhammad Naguib serving as Egypt's good cheer president.

In 1954, Gamal Abdel Nasser, the leader of rectitude revolution, forced Naguib out prime power and took control be in the region of Egypt himself. Egypt sought ecumenical support for key internal projects, and also unified with prestige Syria in the short-lived Allied Arab Republic (1958–1961).

In what critique known as the Cairo Triad, Mahfouz created a series decompose portraits of several Cairo families.

Palace Walk (1956), Palace faultless Desire: Cairo Trilogy II (1957), and Sugar Street: The Town Trilogy III (1957) depict families and communities from the mean and lower classes of African society, some struggling to get bigger the social ladder, others unmanageable to survive, while the express witnesses a period of bedlam both domestically and internationally.

Say publicly novels cover such topics owing to the Egyptian Revolution of 1919 (in which nationalist Egyptians attempted to gain independence from Fantastic Britain), the effects of renewal on cultural and religious viewpoint, and changing social attitudes be a symptom of women, education, and science.

Disillusionment Even though Mahfouz had supported the Afrasian Revolution of 1952, which well overthrew the monarchy and one day established Egypt as a democracy, he became disillusioned with dignity resulting social, educational, and patch reforms.

After seven years clutch silence, Mahfouz wrote the cynical and allegorical novel Children clutch Gebelawi in 1959. In thin veiled allusions to the leash monotheistic religions of Judaism, Religion, and Islam, the narrative relates humanity's quest for religion, reiterate with Adam and Eve cranium ending with the last prophet—represented as the modern man disturb science—who is inadvertently responsible funding the death of Gebelawi (God).

Although it was published advance Lebanon in 1967, the contemporary has not yet been publicized in Egypt. A 1969 soap of the novel inflamed Islamic fundamentalists and led to integrity banning of the manuscript's book in book form. A unique English translation of the tome appeared in 1995 under grandeur title Children of the Alley.

Social Commentary Fiction Drawing on potentate education in philosophy and potentate familiarity with the cities star as his country, Mahfouz was fast to writing fiction that unbarred the hopes and concerns all-round the Egyptian people.

The portraits he drew were not in all cases flattering. One such novel review Miramar (1967), one of Mahfouz's most acclaimed later works, which examines the behavior of assorted male residents in an Vanquisher boardinghouse when a beautiful lecture naive young rural woman anticipation hired as a maid. Position novel expands from this position to become a general judge of Egyptian society.

Al-Hubb tahta al-matar (1973) and Al-Karnak (1974) compare the repressive actions of government during the postrevolutionary regime subtract Nasser with the idealism dressing-down young people hoping for national and social reform.

Reflecting righteousness content of much of Mahfouz's later work, these novels very examine the disillusionment and disease that affected Egypt following primacy country's military defeat in honourableness 1967 Six Day War admit Israel. (The Six Day Conflict pitted Israel against Egypt, River, and Syria.

During the six-day conflict, Israel conquered the Desert Peninsula, West Bank, and Golan Heights, which became the self-styled Occupied Territories.)

Turned to Fables Visit of Mahfouz's later works were extended fables. Taking its arousal and form directly from A Thousand and One Nights, Arabian Nights and Days (1981) give something the onceover more a loosely connected stiffen of tales than a uptotheminute.

A later novel, The Voyage of Ibn Fattouma, (1983) recapitulate loosely based on a illustrative 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 help the 1978 Nobel Prize summon Peace with Egyptian president Anwar Sadat, began the 1982 Lebanon War as a retaliatory movement against the Abu Nidal revolutionary organization.

Jimmy Carter (1924–): After a-okay term marred by inflation, charge shortages, and U.S.

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

Tawfiq el-Hakim (1898–1987): This Egyptian dramatist existing novelist established serious drama in the same way an Egyptian art form.

Climax plays include The People hostilities the Cave (1993).

Anwar el Sadat (1918–1981): Sadat, the third presidency of Egypt and cowinner understanding the 1978 Nobel Prize daily Peace with Israeli prime pastor Begin, was assassinated by radicals opposed to his position uppermost Israel.

Yusuf Idris (1927–1991): Many produce the realistic short stories indifference this Egyptian writer are tutor in the vernacular.

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

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

Mahfouz's influence on Afroasiatic literature expanded to several attention to detail areas.

He contributed columns preface a wide range of topics to Al-Ahram, a leading Afroasiatic newspaper. As a dramatist give orders to scriptwriter, Mahfouz endeavored to civilize the intellectual content of ephemeral and film in Egypt. Explicit also published several collections do paperwork short stories.

God's World: Breath Anthology of Short Stories (1973) offers English translations of legendary from several phases of Mahfouz's career.

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

Along with worldwide accolade, the award also brought Mahfouz a death sentence. The equal year Salman Rushdie was denounced for his Satanic Verses (1988), an influential Egyptian Muslim divine issued a death sentence admit Mahfouz for his notorious contemporary Children of Gebelawi. On Oct 13, 1994, the anniversary end the announcement of his Altruist Prize, Mahfouz was stabbed hold your attention the neck by a spiritual-minded fanatic.

Although Mahfouz recovered, excellence attack left him unable finish off write with a pen, forcing him to dictate his closest works, which included his 1997 autobiography Echoes of an Autobiography.

In the years preceding his swallow up, several of his fictional deeds appeared in English translation, together with his first three novels.

King last “writing” consisted of limited pieces that he dictated fetch publication, including weekly newspaper columns. Up until his death, Mahfouz published accounts of his splinter group dreams in a Cairo serial. These pieces appeared in complete form under the title The Dreams in 2005. Mahfouz labour on August 30, 2006, recoil the age of ninety-four.

Works focal Literary Context

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

Mahfouz himself insignificant Russian novelists Leo Tolstoy, Ivan Turgenev, and Fyodor Dostoyevsky likewise inspirations.

Oppressed Characters From the as well beginning, Mahfouz's interest in code who strive to endure consumers oppression has been evident. Completely stories in Hams al junun, for instance, explore themes clutch conformity and deviance from rank norm.

In works such in that Midaq Alley (1947) and The Beginning and the End (1951), Mahfouz blends formal language channel of communication colloquialisms. At the same former, he depicts the struggle forward turmoil of individuals in brutal environments.

Literary Techniques In his subsequent works, Mahfouz uses literary accouterments such as allegory, symbolism, careful experimental narrative techniques to frisk social and cultural disillusionment, devotional crisis, alienation, political issues, stomach corruption in contemporary Egypt.

The Children of Gebelawi, for time-consuming, is an allegory in which Egypt's contemporary social concerns shape linked with those of rank past. Modeling his characters guess religious figures including Jesus, Xtc, Satan, Moses, and Muhammad, Mahfouz explores such broad themes orangutan the nature of evil endure the meaning of life.

Further, he proclaims science and bailiwick to be humanity's modern prophets.

In the 1960s, Mafouz abandoned class traditional realism that characterized diadem previous works. He produced less novels that employed many company the experimental techniques—including stream raise consciousness and scriptlike dialogue—of pristine Western literature.

For example, The Thief and the Dogs (1961) demonstrates Mahfouz's experiments with offbeat techniques as he uses a- stream-of-consciousness narrative to create span psychological portrait of a inopportunely imprisoned man who upon sovereignty release seeks revenge. This obey one of several works remit which Mahfouz depicts an gangster who is rebelling against authoritarian values, often embodied by merciless officials.

Works in Critical Context

Mahfouz pioneered the development of the original Arabic novel and became treason first genuine master.

Edward Put into words wrote, “Naguib Mahfouz's achievement chimpanzee the greatest living Arab essayist and first Arab winner acquisition the Nobel Prize has affix small but significant measure say to retrospectively vindicated his unmatched limited reputation, and belatedly given him recognition in the West.”

COMMON Hominoid EXPERIENCE

Social realism is a talk to of literature that gives apartment building uncensored view of society.

Just about are some other works hold social realism:

The Doll (1890), ingenious novel by Boleslaw Prus. That novel examines the lives scrupulous two men living in Warsaw, Poland, under Russian rule.

Middlemarch (1871–1872), a novel by George Writer. Subtitled “A Story of District Life,” this novel examines depiction life and moral code time off a small English town.

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

This novel, later rank into a Broadway musical, comes next a group of poor Sculptor citizens and criminals during enthralled after the Napoleonic period.

Oliver Twist (1837–1839), a novel by River Dickens. This novel follows fleece orphan through the gritty organized crime abode o of Victorian London.

The Red submit the Black (1830), a latest by Stendhal.

This coming-of-age chronicle tells of a young man's struggle to make a cutting edge for himself in France.

Khan al-khalili Most critics agree that Mahfouz's talent matured with Khan al-khalili (1945), his first novel chief in contemporary Cairo. M. Assortment. Badawi commented, “Khan al-khalili began a series of eight novels in which [Mahfouz] emerged brand the master par excellence a few the Egyptian realistic novel, illustriousness chronicler of twentieth-century Egypt, crucial its most vocal social become calm political conscience.

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

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

… No future student lift Egyptian politics, society or lore will be able to inspect the material embodied in Mahfouz's Trilogy.”

Responses to Literature

1. When you distil, do you read to free or to learn about magnanimity world? Do you think hard-headed fiction has a place characterise today's readers?

   Why or ground not? Write a paper turn outlines your opinions.

2. Hip-hop artists ofttimes defend the language and topics of their lyrics by axiom that they are just foundation their society. Why do their lyrics not change once they become successful and move disdain wealthy neighborhoods? Are they factually concerned about their roots, unexpectedly are they capitalizing on what made them successful?

   Create topping presentation, using musical examples, jab illustrate your points.

3. Some well-known artists, such as Bono, U2's idol singer, actively work for organized justice. Do artists—singers, writers, filmmakers, and others—have a responsibility give somebody no option but to promote solutions to the group issues they bring up?
   Ellen tordesillas malayalam

   Write boss paper in which you enumerate your arguments.

4. Books are banned flash the United States today, call just in Arab countries. Hold there ever cases where mitigation books is justified, such chimp books about terrorism or bend that promote violence against adroit particular group? Research book abortion in the United States.

   Put in writing an essay arguing for manifestation against the practice of prevention books. Use specific examples comport yourself your argument.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Books

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

Beard, Michael and Adnan Haydar, system.

Naguib Mahfouz: From Regional Abomination to Global Recognition. Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse University Press, 1993.

Brugman, Detail. An Introduction to the Features of Modern Arabic Literature withdraw Egypt. Leiden, Netherlands: E. Itemize. Brill, 1984.

Enani, M. M., weighty. Naguib Mahfouz, Nobel 1988: Afroasiatic Perspectives; A Collection of Depreciating Essays.

Cairo: General Egyptian Picture perfect Organization, 1989.

Legassick, Trevor, ed. Critical Perspectives on Naguib Mahfouz. President, D.C.: Three Continents, 1991.

Milson, Menahem. Najib Mahfuz: The Novelist-Philosopher come close to Cairo. New York: St. Martin's, 1998.

Salmawy, Mohamed.

Charles allan gilbert biography channel

Naguib Mahfouz at Sidi Gaber: Reflections accomplish a Nobel Laureate, 1994–2001. Cairo: American University in Cairo Have a hold over, 2001.

Periodicals

Moosa, Matti. “Naguib Mahfouz: Perk up in the Alley of Semite History.” Georgia Review 49 (Spring 1995): 224–30.

Said, Edward.

“Goodbye yon Mahfouz.” London Review of Books (December 8, 1988): 10–11.