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Egypt: Celebrating Naguib Mahfouz's Centenary

Categories: Middle East & North Africa, Egypt, Arts & Culture, History, Literature

Today marks the centenary of Egyptian Nobel laureate and leading novelist Naguib Mahfouz [1]. The occasion is being remembered on Twitter.

Born on December 11, 1911, Mahfouz won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1988. The prolific writer published more than 50 novels and 350 short stories, as well as five plays and scores of movie scripts in his career, which spanned 70 years.

On Twitter, Ibrahim Abdelmeguid notes [ar]:

النهاردة عيد ميلاد نجيب محفوظ . زي النهاردة من 100 سنة اتولد ضمير للوطن
@ibrahimabdelmeg [2]: Today marks Naguib Mahfouz's birthday. Like today, a 100 years ago, the conscience of this nation was born.
[3]

Celebrating Naguib Mahfouz. Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons used under (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Nermeen Edrees wonders:

@NermeenEdrees [4]: And I wonder if TV channels are broadcasting #Mahfouz works all day!

Layla El Tahawy wishes Mahfouz, who died in 2006, was present to witness the ongoing Egyptian revolution. She tweets:

@Laylatahawy [5]: RIP nageeb ma7fouz, one of few ppl I wish were here to witness our revolution #mahfouz #egypt

Muhammad Adel explains [ar]:

حينما أقرأ بعض روايات نجيب محفوظ التى أثارت جدلا حول الدين، أتيقن من مدى إيمان هذا الرجل، ولكن شتان بين إيمان العقل وإيمان الوراثة.
@mhmdadl [6]: Whenever I read Naguib Mahfouz's novels which have caused a controversy over religion, I understand the extent of the belief this man enjoyed. There is a difference between believing with your brain and the sense of belief you inherit.

And Matthew concludes:

@harafish1 [7]: Naguib #Mahfouz is 100 today! Although no longer with us, his books continue to inspire and they will live on until the end of time. #Egypt

Naguib Mahfouz's Facebook page features [8] links to news about events lined up to mark the occasion.