Nobel Prize in Literature
1 appearances
-
Edition 81 (1988) Winner
Naguib Mahfouz
ナギーブ・マフフーズ
Naguib Mahfouz
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1911-12-11 （Cairo, Khedivate of Egypt）
- Died
- 2006-08-30 （Agouza, Giza Governorate, Egypt） age 94
- Nationality
- Egyptian
- Languages
- Arabic
- Religion
- Islam (Sunni)
- Residence History
- Gamaleya (Old Cairo) → Abbassia (Cairo suburb) → Agouza (Cairo, west bank)
Career
- Occupations
- novelist, screenwriter, playwright, columnist, civil servant
- Active Years
- 1932-2004
- Affiliations
- Dar el-Ma'aref (publisher) - board member, Ministry of Culture (consultant/official roles)
- Influenced By
- Taha Hussein, Salama Moussa, Marcel Proust, Franz Kafka, James Joyce
- Influenced
- Nabil Mounir (lawyer), Reda Aslan (lawyer), Subsequent generations of Arab novelists
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cairo University (formerly Egyptian University) | Faculty of Philosophy | Department of Philosophy | 学士（哲学） | 1930–1934 | Egypt |
Cairo University (formerly Egyptian University)
Faculty of Philosophy
/ Department of Philosophy
Degree:
学士（哲学）
Period:
1930–1934
Year of Graduation:
1934
Country:
Egypt
Completed BA in philosophy; began MA studies but discontinued after about a year to pursue writing
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Nobel Prize in Literature | — | — | Swedish Academy | 受賞 |
| — | Order of the Nile (Grand Cordon) | — | — | Government of Egypt | 受章 |
| — | Order of the Republic (Grand Cordon) | — | — | Government of Egypt | 受章 |
| — | Order of Merit (Egypt) - Grand Cross | — | — | Government of Egypt | 受章 |
| — | Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Commandeur) | — | — | Government of France | 受章 |
| — | Order of Educational and Cultural Merit Gabriela Mistral (Chile) | — | — | Government of Chile | 受章 |
Nobel Prize in Literature
1988
Organization:
Swedish Academy
Result:
受賞
Order of the Nile (Grand Cordon)
Organization:
Government of Egypt
Result:
受章
Order of the Republic (Grand Cordon)
Organization:
Government of Egypt
Result:
受章
Order of Merit (Egypt) - Grand Cross
Organization:
Government of Egypt
Result:
受章
Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Commandeur)
Organization:
Government of France
Result:
受章
Order of Educational and Cultural Merit Gabriela Mistral (Chile)
Organization:
Government of Chile
Result:
受章
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
The Cairo Trilogy (Palace Walk / Palace of Desire / Sugar Street)
1956 Novel (family saga)A three-volume saga portraying three generations of a Cairene family from World War I to the postwar era, examining social change and individual conflicts in 20th-century Egypt.
generational changemodernization vs traditionfamily and authority
Children of Gebelawi (Children of the Alley)
1959 Novel (allegory)An allegorical novel about the patriarch Gebelawi and his descendants; through characters echoing biblical and prophetic figures it explores power, faith and generational conflict. Banned in many Arab countries for alleged blasphemy.
religious allegorypower and oppressiongenerational strife
Midaq Alley
1947 Novel (ensemble cast)Portrays the lives of residents in a narrow Cairene alley, exploring desire, poverty and hope. Widely adapted and internationally known.
alley as microcosmeveryday desire and frustrationcommunity
Adaptations
- [Film (Mexico)] El callejón de los milagros / Jorge Fons (1995)
Adrift on the Nile
1966 Novel (social critique)A critique of the decadence in Egyptian society during the Nasser era. Later adapted into a film (Chitchat on the Nile) and faced bans at times.
political decadenceindividual impotencesocial corruption
Adaptations
- [Film (Egypt)] Chitchat on the Nile / Hussein Kamal (1971)
The Thief and the Dogs
1961 Novel (existential)Depicts the revenge and failures of a recently released thief; an existential novel about ideals, betrayal and retribution.
revengealienationexistentialism
Akhenaten, Dweller in Truth
1985 Historical novelA fictionalized examination of the life of Pharaoh Akhenaten, exploring the conflict between old and new religious truths.
religious reformhistory and truthtransformations of power
Bibliography
- Ancient Egypt (translation, 1932)
- Whisper of Madness (1938)
- Mockery of the Fates (1939)
- Midaq Alley (1947)
- The Cairo Trilogy (Palace Walk 1956; Palace of Desire 1957; Sugar Street 1957)
- Children of Gebelawi (1959)
- The Thief and the Dogs (1961)
- Adrift on the Nile (1966)
- Miramar (1967)
- Akhenaten, Dweller in Truth (1985)
- Dreams of the Rehabilitation Period (2004)
Adaptations
- Midaq Alley → Mexican film 'El callejón de los milagros' (1995)
- Adrift on the Nile → film 'Chitchat on the Nile' (1971)
- Heart of the Night → film adaptation (1989)
Translations by Author
- Arabic translation of James Baikie's 'Ancient Egypt' (1932)
Translations of Works
- Many works translated into English, French and other languages (notably: The Cairo Trilogy, Midaq Alley, Children of Gebelawi)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- realist depictionmeasured, accessible prosesymbolic and allegorical passages
- Recurring Motifs
- the alley as microcosmgenerational and familial continuityconflict of religion and faithurbanization and modernization
Health
-
1994 stabbing resulting in nerve damage (right upper limb neuropathy)1994–2006After the 1994 attack he sustained permanent nerve damage in his right arm, which affected his writing productivity and daily life; he lived under police protection thereafter.
Legacy
Mahfouz is considered a cornerstone of modern Egyptian literature. As the only Arab Nobel laureate in Literature (1988), he brought international attention to Arabic fiction; his works have been widely adapted for film and television. A museum in Old Cairo commemorating him opened in 2019.
Museums
- Naguib Mahfouz Museum Old Cairo (near Wikala of al-Ghuri, Azhar area) Opened in 2019
Academic Societies
- No specific academic society data
Archives
- Collections at the Naguib Mahfouz Museum (personal artifacts, photographs, Nobel medal, etc.)
- Works and papers held in national libraries/archives in Egypt
In Popular Culture
- International adaptations such as the Mexican film of Midaq Alley (1995)
- Multiple Egyptian TV adaptations (e.g., Afrah AlQoba)
- Planned biographical TV series announced in 2021 with Ahmed Helmy to portray Mahfouz
Quotes
-
The Nobel Prize has given me, for the first time in my life, the feeling that my literature could be appreciated on an international level. The Arab world also won the Nobel with me.
Source: Statement shortly after receiving the prize (1988) (1988) -
In all my writings, you will find politics. You may find a story which ignores love or any other subject, but not politics; it is the very axis of our thinking.
Source: Interview (cited in secondary sources, 1990s) (1998)
Trivia
- The only Egyptian (and one of the very few Arab) writers to win the Nobel Prize in Literature (1988).
- Married a Coptic Orthodox woman from Alexandria in 1954 (Atiyatallah Ibrahim); had two daughters.
- Attacked and stabbed in 1994 by an extremist; sustained permanent nerve damage to his right arm.
- Published prolifically across seven decades: over 30 novels, 350+ short stories, dozens of screenplays and numerous columns.