The Story of the Banned Book: Naguib Mahfouz’s Children of the Alley. By Mohamed Shoair. Cairo and New York: The American University in Cairo Press, 2022. Pp. x, 211. ISBN: 978164903085 6
This is an uncommon book in that it discusses the writing of another book, Children of the Alley by Naguib Mahfouz in 1959 and its controversial reception in Egypt in literary, religious and political contexts. The author, Mohamed Shoair, born in 1974, is an Egyptian award-winning writer, critic, journalist, and managing editor of the literary magazine Akhbar al-adab. He wrote the book in Arabic which was later translated into English by Humphrey Davies shortly before passing away in November 2021. Davies was an award-winning Cairo-based British translator of Arabic fiction, as well as historical and classical texts, known for translating the most renowned works of contemporary Arabic literature including some of Mahfouz’s books.
The Story of the Banned Book consists of seventeen chapters and an appendix of documents that clarify some of the contents. Shoair’s work attempts to trace the history of the book, Children of the Alley and explains the controversy surrounding it among different audiences which eventually led to an attempted assassination.
The book is organized mainly chronologically beginning in the 1950s following the 1952 revolution in Egypt which deposed the monarchy and brought military rule. Mahfouz was guarded about the revolution and its alleged change considering it only replaced one authoritarian rule (King Farouk) by a new one (military and later in 1956 Gamal Abdel Nasser as president). He consequently stopped writing for a few years until publication of Children of the Alley, which was first featured in the daily serial, al-Ahram in the fall of 1959 with illustrations by Al-Husayn Fawzi.
Chapters one and two discuss the clash between nationalism encouraged by Nasser and the popular culture orientation taken by rebellious Egyptian youth. While Nasser encouraged authors to promote a disciplined way of life, Mahfouz’s literature reflected current life in Egypt under strict rulership. Chapter three explains Mahfouz’s attempt to publish the story which had been rejected by the Egyptian national literature committee, but it was already circulating among the public. Chapter four talks about the contradictory supportive and highly critical letters sent to the magazine’s publisher. The main objection to the work came from the sheikhs of al-Azhar for its alleged atheism and mockery of religion, while Mahfouz considered it a history of Egypt and more generally, mankind.
In December 1959, in his first defense of the novel, Mahfouz says “it portrays the bitter struggle led by the prophets and messengers of God in defense of the poor and to make a prosperous life available to all” (p. 35). He asserts that he uses reality to critique myth (or symbolism) “I have dressed myth in the garments of reality to make reality more understandable and hopeful” (p. 59).
Other chapters continue to discuss the debate about the story which was part of a larger critique of the regime’s hegemony over society. The crisis of the novel spread throughout the Arab world, but the novel was finally published as a book in 1967 in Beirut, Lebanon.
Shoair explores the history of the novel and its original manuscript which was given to the publishers and was lost track of. The first translation of the novel was done by Philip Stewart who studied Arabic at the University of Oxford and was sent by the university to do research on Mahfouz’ works, but was convinced instead to translate Children of the Alley into English. Mahfouz acknowledged to Stewart that his writing was influenced by Bernard Shaw’s play Back to Methuselah along with other writings. He also told Stewart that when questioned about his criticism of the prophets and death of God, that “on the contrary, when I finished the novel, I felt I had recovered my faith.” (p.65)
Chapter eleven describes the historical event of when Naguib Mahfouz became the first Arab writer awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature 1988; a prize considered by Egyptians exclusive to Western writers.
The literary works of Mahfouz caused ideological reaction which led to an assassination attempt following a fatwa issued by Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman. Chapters 12-16 present different aspects of the attempt, its organization, and the people involved. The last chapter of the book discusses how all Mahfouz’s novels were criticized by some and praised by others depending on the focus of the reader. According to Mahfouz, “the novel was a parable of our relationship to the authority that chokes humankind until it can no longer breathe, be that authority political, religious, or societal” (p.156).
The appendix of documents is valuable for understanding the context and includes an essay by Mahfouz about Bernard Shaw’s play, Back to Methuselah which influenced his writing of Children of the Alley; a review of Sayyid Qubt’s Ashwak; two reports of the Islamic Research Academy against the novel, concluding that the work is dangerous and should not be published in written, audio or video form (p. 181-2). Other documents are letters to Philip Stewart and Dr. Muhammad Hasan Abdallah; transcriptions of Mahfouz’s questioning session after the attempted assassination; and confessions of the perpetrator of the crime.
Chapter titles are not descriptive, and are about independent topics, but the text is generally well-written. The book includes a glossary and a list of references but does not have an index. Shoair documents his work well with many personal meetings, phone calls, quotes from newspapers, and references to Mahfouz’ works and other relevant secondary sources.
The Banned Book demonstrates the power of words and of storytelling. They not only affect a reader’s personal emotions, but can influence politics, religion, and society. Children of the Alley evoked strong reactions, both positive and negative, that continue today, especially with this newest publication, a story about the book. Because of Mahfouz’s prominence, Middle East librarians should be aware of this important work that provides insight into Mahfouz’s life and works.
Connie Lamb
Brigham Young University (retired)