Naguib Mahfouz died August 30, 2006. Until then, he led a life of suffering, after an assassination attempt by Islamic extremists in 1994 had left him severely injured. That was long after, in 1988, Mahfouz, as a writer with "an Arabian narrative art that applies to all mankind", had been awarded with the Nobel Prize of Literature.
I wonder whether this is true. It's not as if Mahfouz's literature wouldn't apply, but does mankind really care? To be honest, who has read any of Mahfouz's work, not being a member of Oriental Studies?
And here is the time and place to say: It is difficult. It is difficult to understand a story that is situated in an area and culture still quite unknown to us. It is difficult to read something that concerns people with an attitude and way of life so different to ours. It is difficult to follow an unknown style of story telling that is not as easy going as the typical oriental story traded in the Western World, "Alf leil wa-leila", The Arabian Nights.
As he is quoted, “You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions.”, we realize, yes, Naguib Mahfouz is bound to be difficult. He might even make readers feel uneasy, at first. But if we do care for the Arab World and don't want to remain enlosing ourselves in a stone wall of prejudice, we all should face these difficulties and get involved, line by line. It's worth it.
Naguib Mahfouz