NAGUIB MAHFOUZ

(Najib Mahfuz)

Mahfouz was born on December 11, 1911, Cairo, died

at the age of 94 on August 30, 2006 in Cairo. He was the son
of a civil servant and grew up in Cairo’s Al-Jamāliyyah district.
He attended the Egyptian University (now Cairo University),
where in 1934 he received a degree in philosophy. He worked
in the Egyptian civil service in a variety of positions from 1934
until his retirement in 1971.

Mahfouz is of the world's most renowned Arabic

novelists. He began writing at the age of 17 and he first published his novel in 1939. He's an
author of no fewer than 30 novels, more than 100 short stories and more than 200 articles. Half
of his novels have been made into films. He has been described as "a Dickens of the Cairo
cafés" and the "Balzac of Egypt".

Awards and Honors:

- Medal for Literature (1996)

- Nobel Prize (1988); first Arab writer to receive this honor

Notable Works:

 The Cairo Trilogy. The appearance of Cairo Trilogy (Palace Walk 1956, Palace of Desire
1957 and Sugar Street 1957) made him famous throughout the Arab world as a
portrayer of traditional urban life. These stories centered around life in middle-class
Cairo between the world wars, and were translated into a variety of different languages.
The trilogy sold more than 250,000 copies. The success of the Cairo Trilogy laid the
foundation for Mahfouz's international acclaim, which culminated in his 1988 Nobel
Prize for Literature.
 Children of the Alley/Gebelawi. This novel of his was banned in Egypt for a time
because of its controversial treatment of religion and its use of characters based on
Muhammad, Moses, and other figures. Islamic militants, partly because of their outrage
over the work, later called for his death, and in 1994 Mahfouz was stabbed in the neck.
 TAWFIQ AL-HAKIM

A well-known Egyptian writer, and is renowned as the father of modern Arab drama. Al-
Hakim was born on October 9, 1898, Alexandria, Egypt—died July 26, 1987, Cairo), and a son of
a wealthy Egyptian judge. From an early age he showed a
sensitivity and love for literature. While pursuing his
secondary education he began writing short plays that he
tried out on his school friends. He experimented with
different genres such as short stories, essays, and even tried
writing lyrics for patriotic songs.

After studying law at Cairo University, he went to Paris to

continue his legal studies but instead devoted most of his
time to the theatre. On his return to Egypt four years later
(1930), he worked for the Ministry of Justice in a rural area
and for the Ministry of Education in Cairo. However, in 1936
he resigned to devote himself entirely to writing. He wrote
under a pseudonym Husayn Tawfiq, to avoid the wrath of his family who, similar to many
others at the time, did not think much of writers, considering it a frivolous endeavor unworthy
of middle-class society. Upon his return to Egypt he embarked on a parallel, prolific career as a
playwright, novelist, and essayist.

Notable Works:

 Ahl al-kahf or The People of the Cave (1933), which was ostensibly based on the story
of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus but which was actually a study of the human struggle
against time.
 The Maze of Justice provides a scathing critique of the justice system in early twentieth-
century Egypt, is considered by contemporary critics to be one of his finest and most
original works.