Naguib Mahfouz
1911 – 2006
About Naguib Mahfouz
Naguib Mahfouz (1911–2006) was an Egyptian novelist who in 1988 became the first Arab writer to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature. Born in the al-Gamaliyya district of old Cairo — the setting of much of his fiction — he worked as a civil servant for decades while writing, publishing his first novels in the 1930s. His masterwork, the Cairo Trilogy (*Palace Walk*, *Palace of Desire*, *Sugar Street*, 1956–57), traced three generations of an Egyptian family from 1917 to 1944, establishing him as Egypt's Balzac.
His later existentialist novels — especially *The Thief and the Dogs* (1961) — and his allegorical novella *Children of the Alley* (1959), which was banned in Egypt for 30 years for perceived blasphemy, showed his range. In 1994 he survived a stabbing attack by an Islamic extremist, suffering permanent nerve damage to his right hand. He dictated rather than wrote for his final decade.
“You carry your homeland in your heart.”
Quick Facts
- Born
- 1911
- Died
- 2006
- Lifespan
- 95 years
- Domain
- inspiration
- Quotes
- 5 collected
- Key Themes
- BelongingChangeWisdomStoriesFear
Learn More
Wikipedia — Naguib MahfouzNaguib Mahfouz's Famous Quotes
5 quotes
“You carry your homeland in your heart.”
— The Cairo Trilogy: Sugar Street (1957)
“Today's friends can be tomorrow's enemies.”
— Midaq Alley (1947)
“You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions.”
— Widely attributed to Mahfouz; consistent with his essay and interview positions
“Events at home, at work, in the street – these are the bases for a story.”
— Interview in Al-Ahram newspaper; various sources
“Fear does not prevent death. It prevents life.”
— Widely attributed to Mahfouz; exact source unverified in his published works
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Frequently Asked Questions
Naguib Mahfouz (1911–2006) was an Egyptian novelist who in 1988 became the first Arab writer to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature. Born in the al-Gamaliyya district of old Cairo — the setting of much of his fiction — he worked as a civil servant for decades while writing, publishing his first novels in the 1930s. His masterwork, the Cairo Trilogy (*Palace Walk*, *Palace of Desire*, *Sugar Street*, 1956–57), traced three generations of an Egyptian family from 1917 to 1944, establishing him as Egypt's Balzac. His later existentialist novels — especially *The Thief and the Dogs* (1961) — and his allegorical novella *Children of the Alley* (1959), which was banned in Egypt for 30 years for perceived blasphemy, showed his range. In 1994 he survived a stabbing attack by an Islamic extremist, suffering permanent nerve damage to his right hand. He dictated rather than wrote for his final decade. Naguib Mahfouz lived 1911 – 2006.