Naguib Mahfouz

William F. Buckley and Children of the Alley by Naguib Mahfouz, are both political by showing the struggle between the people who have power and those who do not. In Children of the Alley, Mahfouz shows the struggle between poor people and powerful people that live in a society with no justice system. Mahfouz also critiques religion's role in trying to create justice, and equality. In other words, Mahfouz is critiquing politicized religion. Mahfouz shows there is a cycle of religious figures…

simple for people to get lost in their search for spiritual fulfillment. In Naguib Mahfouz’s short story “Zaabalawi” he uses several literary devices to demonstrate the obstacles that one may face during their search for divinity all while encountering different characters’ personas who eventually lead him away from the practical and towards the fulfillment of spirituality. In examining this text, I will show how Naguib Mahfouz, with his use of personification, metaphors, similes, ironies, and…

relationship- such is the narrator of Fountain and Tomb’s world. In his anthology, author Naguib Mahfouz walks us through a series of autobiographical excerpts from his time growing up in a small alleyway in Cairo during the early 20th century. The stories deal with marriage, political revolution, human nature, and the interplay between individuals and the society they build. Through his short stories, Mahfouz illustrates that individuals owe society conformity and participation, even above…

At the time, Naguib had grown, and his audience was more international that it was before. His style was losing currency in the European bastions of literature. One would have thought that the author would go for a more flowing prose. As mentioned above, direct speech tends to break up the prose. When used incorrectly, the narrative can become disjointed, and the plot diluted (Woolf, 35). It is gratifying to see that Naguib is one of those people who can make the style…

After reading both Thomas Merton’s essay, “Being and Doing,” along with Naguib Mahfouz’ “Respected Sir,” I can see some similarities between the two on many things. Some of the similarities that I will be discussing include, what is happiness and its significance for human life, how can the pursuit of something transcendent affect, positively and/or negatively, one’s own moral and spiritual decision-making, and lastly, what it means to live virtuously. The first point that both stories show is…

The Cairo Trilogy, written by one of the most outstanding novelists of the Middle East, Naguib Mahfouz, covers life in Cairo since the Egypt's revolt against the British occupation in 1919 and anticipates Egypt's official independence in 1952. The issues of Egypt discussed in the novel remind of issues of Egyptian society nowadays, including moderate versus radical Islam, military repression, and the role of women inside and outside of the household. The trilogy explores different dimensions of…

coexisted peacefully throughout time. People have been persecuted, beaten and even killed for simply practicing their religion and believing in their form of a higher being, or beings. In the works The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka and Zaabalawi by Naguib Mahfouz, both authors examine their own religions and how their people were persecuted. Kafka, a German-Jew, despite living in a pre-Holocaust Germany, was highly aware of the religious persecution that had…

In the novel, The Journey of Ibn Fattouma by Naguib Mahfouz, the cycle of life is explained through the metaphor of the land of Gebel. Gebel represents the cycles of life and the perfection many aim to achieve before the clock runs out. Qindil, the main character, leaves his motherland in search of wisdom to aid his land that betrayed him. Throughout his journey he experiences the nakedness of life, injustice, and freedom. At the young age of 20 years old, Qindil leaves his homeland on a…

Midaq Alley by Naguib Mahfouz coveys a power struggle in abusive relationships revolving involving Haminda and Ibrahim through open dialogue in order to bring conflicts regarding prostitution, that hide in the shadows, to light. First, dialogue introduces the economically and emotionally abusive relationship between Hamida and Ibrahim, which centers primarily on prostitution. The first sign of economic abuse appears when Ibrahim refuses to engage with Hamida due to the fact that people will…

Throughout The Journey of Ibn Fattouma, Qindil encounters many diverse societies, each with their own social divisions and distinctions. Using Qindil as a voice, Naguib Mahfouz is able to comment on the various social strata described in the novel, whether it be in Mashriq or Aman. As Qindil progresses on his journey, he is exposed to different and perhaps radical variations from the divisions seen in his homeland, and each system has both its faults and merits in the world, just like in real…