Midaq Alley
- "Midaq Alley" Cover
Midaq Alley (Zuqāq al-Midaq in Arabic) by Naguib Mahfouz is the first and so far only work of Arabic literature to win the Noble Prize for Literature, making it an interesting example to look at for modern Arabic literature. This is somewhat of a misnomer in that, while the novel technically falls within the purview of modern novels, it was in fact first published in 1947 and then translated in 1967. Therefore the novel does not necessarily reflect the current trends of Arabic novels, timeless though it may be.
Midaq Alley examines a microcosm of Cairo, and Egypt as a whole, on the cusp of modernity in the residents of the titular alley. It examines the lives and paths of its residents as they try to navigate the difficulties of poverty and humanity. The novel gives character not just to the prostitute Hamida, the central character in a story of characters, but to the alley itself, which takes on a certain life of its own, remaining a constant in the mist of changes of its residents.
The novel, given its local level view of Egyptian society provides an interesting window into that society, showing the religious permeation throughout society and the complexities of the ways in which individuals come to terms with the societal rules and traditions they live in. While it does not necessarily reflect more current events and traditions in Cairo, much less Egypt and the wider Middle East, it does provide a perspective on the origins of that society and a more easily obtainable (given the status conferred by the Nobel prize leading to its widespread dissemination) work on Arabic society rarely glimpsed in the Western World. (1.)
Midaq Alley examines a microcosm of Cairo, and Egypt as a whole, on the cusp of modernity in the residents of the titular alley. It examines the lives and paths of its residents as they try to navigate the difficulties of poverty and humanity. The novel gives character not just to the prostitute Hamida, the central character in a story of characters, but to the alley itself, which takes on a certain life of its own, remaining a constant in the mist of changes of its residents.
The novel, given its local level view of Egyptian society provides an interesting window into that society, showing the religious permeation throughout society and the complexities of the ways in which individuals come to terms with the societal rules and traditions they live in. While it does not necessarily reflect more current events and traditions in Cairo, much less Egypt and the wider Middle East, it does provide a perspective on the origins of that society and a more easily obtainable (given the status conferred by the Nobel prize leading to its widespread dissemination) work on Arabic society rarely glimpsed in the Western World. (1.)
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(Header Image) Cardboard Boxes in Cairo Alley. Image from: http://shari-chocolatebox.blogspot.com/2012/02/alley-wandering.html
Midaq Alley Cover. Image from: http://jccc.libguides.com/content.php?pid=15150
(1.) Maḥfūẓ, Najīb., Midaq Alley.
(Header Image) Cardboard Boxes in Cairo Alley. Image from: http://shari-chocolatebox.blogspot.com/2012/02/alley-wandering.html
Midaq Alley Cover. Image from: http://jccc.libguides.com/content.php?pid=15150
(1.) Maḥfūẓ, Najīb., Midaq Alley.