Naguib Mahfouz
Naguib Mahfouz
Naguib Mahfouzwas an Egyptian writer who won the 1988 Nobel Prize for Literature. He is regarded as one of the first contemporary writers of Arabic literature, along with Tawfiq el-Hakim, to explore themes of existentialism. He published 34 novels, over 350 short stories, dozens of movie scripts, and five plays over a 70-year career. Many of his works have been made into Egyptian and foreign films...
NationalityEgyptian
ProfessionNovelist
Date of Birth11 December 1911
CityCairo, Egypt
CountryEgypt
Excessive concern with religion seems to me a last resort for people who have been exhausted by life.
It is simply not part of my culture to preserve notes. I have never heard of a writer preserving his early drafts.
paraphrasing.."Science is the language of the intellect of society. Art is language of the entire human personality.
Events at home, at work, in the street - these are the bases for a story.
Literature should be more revolutionary than revolutions themselves; writers must find the means to continue to be critical of the negative elements in the sociopolitical reality.
He seemed to be waiting for a miracle to save him from the depths his life had reached and take him to a land of dreams.
The heart is a place of secrets...
In Egypt today most people are concerned with getting bread to eat. Only some of the educated understand how democracy works.
If life has no meaning, why don't we create a meaning for it?
We are like a woman with a difficult pregnancy. We have to rebuild the social classes in Egypt, and we must change the way things were.
I was afraid of marriage. I had the impression married life would take up all my time. I saw myself drowning in visits and parties. No freedom.
It's clearly more important to treat one's fellow man well than to be always praying and fasting and touching one's head to a prayer mat.
Insults are the business of the court.
I defend both the freedom of expression and society's right to counter it. I must pay the price for differing. It is the natural way of things.