Contents
Naguib Mahfouz
Writing the Cairo Trilogy and becoming the first Arabic-language Nobel literature laureate.
Midaq Alley · Cairo Trilogy
- Born
- 11 December 1911
- Birthplace
- Cairo, Egypt
- Died
- 30 August 2006
More people
Naguib Mahfouz
Naguib Mahfouz was an Egyptian novelist whose work followed ordinary lives through social and political change.
Early life
Old Cairo childhood
Grew up in neighbourhoods that later shaped his fiction.
Philosophy studies
Studied philosophy at Cairo University.
Career
- 1930s onward
Civil service and writing
Combined government employment with a sustained literary career.
- 1950s
Cairo Trilogy
Published the three novels that established his broad reputation.
- 1988
Literature Nobel
Received international recognition for his Arabic-language fiction.
Selected books
Midaq Alley
Portrayed a Cairo neighbourhood during wartime.
Cairo Trilogy
Followed a family across generations and political change.
Children of the Alley
Used allegory to explore authority, belief and human experience.
Beyond writing
1994 attack
Survived a stabbing that restricted his ability to write by hand.
Daily routines
Maintained regular café meetings and a disciplined writing life.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗Nobel Prize: award and biography ↗Photo: Unknown author Unknown author. Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
