Naguib Mahfouz and Islam

Abstract

Naguib Mahfouz is probably the best known and most celebrated moder author in Egypt and in the Arabic speaking countries of the Middle East. His literary production comprises more than forty titles, the majority of which are novels and novelettes and there are eleven volumes of short stories among his works. He was born in 1911 in Cairo and he studied philosophy at the University of Cairo from 1930-1934 where he stayed a further four years to prepare a M.A. thesis on Aesthetics. In 1938 he left the University, became a civil servant and published his first collection of short stories. He remained in the civil service since that time until he was pensioned a few years ago. His work has been the subject of many studies most of which appeared in Egypt and Lebanon. best known non-Arabic publication on his works is Sasson Somekh's Changing Rhythm-A Study of Najib Mahfuz's Novels, published in 1973,1 which discusses the works published up till 1966 inclusive or twenty-one titles in all. Two works in Arabic should also be mentioned because of their emphasis on things spiritual. first is Ghali Shukri, al-Muntami. Dirdsdt fi Adab Nagib Ma.hftz, published in Cairo, 1964. Al-Muntami means something like The Engaged One, and the book deals with the aspect of social engagement, which again in the works of Naguib Mahfouz is not without religious connections. second work is Dr. Muhammad Hasan 'Abdallah's Al-Isldmiyya wa al-Ruhiyya fi Adab Nagib Ma.hfuz, Kuwayt, 1972 which translates as Things Islamic and Spiritual in the Literature of Naguib Mahfouz. This book, however, is rather an apology for