Committed to Disillusion , livre ebook

COMMITTED TO DISILLUSION
COMMITTED TO DISILLUSION
Activist Writers in Egypt in the 1960s–1980s
DAVID F. DIMEO




The American University in Cairo Press Cairo New York
This electronic edition published in 2016 by The American University in Cairo Press 113 Sharia Kasr el Aini, Cairo, Egypt 420 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10018 www.aucpress.com

Copyright © 2016 by David DiMeo Protected under the Berne Convention

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

ISBN 978 977 416 761 4 eISBN 978 161 797 757 2

Version 1
Contents

Note on Transliteration and Translation
Preface and Acknowledgments
Introduction

Chapter 1: Early In fl uences on Arabic Committed Literature
The Theoretical Problem of Committed Literature
The Soviet Legacy of Directed Literature
Sartre ʼ s Call to Engagement in Post-War France
Brecht and Lukács Debate Literature for Social Change

Chapter 2: Al-Adab al-Multazim: A Distinctive Arabic Model of Committed Literature
Commitment before Iltizam
Iltizam in Arabic Literature
An Arabic Model of Committed Literature
Iltizam in the Nasser Era
Committed Literature in the Sadat Era

Chapter 3: Naguib Mahfouz: The Exemplar of Multazim Writing in a Period of Disillusion
Early In fl uences
Al-Adab al-Multazim in Practice: Mahfouz ’ s A Beginning and an End
A Dramatic Change in Style
Inverting the Paradigm of Iltizam
The Beggar
Gossip on the Nile
Karnak Café
Wedding in the Dome

Chapter 4: Yusuf Idris, a Writer of the Revolutionary Era
The Multazim Writing of Yusuf Idris: “An Errand”
A Turn from Realism
“The Alif in al-Ahrar”
The Black Policeman
“The Aorta”
“The Sunken Mattress”
“The Piper Dies”

Chapter 5: Sonallah Ibrahim, Son of the Revolution
That Smell
August Star
The Committee

Conclusion: From Literary Disillusion to Electronic Revolution
An Inversion of al-Adab al-Multazim
Activist Writing after al-Adab al-Multazim
The Activist Writer in the Electronic Age
Defection of the Artists

Notes
Bibliography
Note on Transliteration and Translation
I n writing in English about Arabic literature and history, one always faces the dif fi cult questions of what to translate, what to transliterate, and how. Given the myriad of transliteration systems in use, a reader can fi nd Naguib Mahfouz ’ s name, for example, rendered as Najib Mahfouz, Najib Mahfuz, Naguib Mahfuz, or Neguib Mahfouz in various sources. Recognizing that there is no perfect mean between consistency, ease of use, and familiarity, I have struck a balance. For those authors who have established their own preferred English transliterations of their names (such as Alaa Al Aswany and Ibrahim Abdel Meguid), or those rare historic fi gures known by a single transliteration in English (such as former Egyptian president Nasser), I have kept with the established rendering. For other names and terms—the vast majority—that have no consistent English transliterations, I have applied the Library of Congress transliteration system with some modi fi cations for ease of use. Each Arabic letter is represented by a corresponding English letter or combination of letters, with the left-facing single quotation mark ( ’ ) representing the Arabic hamza and the right-facing single quotation mark ( ‘ ) representing the Arabic ‘ayn . No diacritical marks have been used, nor have I distinguished long and short vowels. The Arabic de fi nite article has been written as al- , regardless of whether the letter l would be assimilated in normal pronunciation (thus, the title of Naguib Mahfouz ’ s novel The Beggar is transliterated as al-Shahhadh, rather than ash-Shahhat , as it would be pronounced).
Unless otherwise noted, all translations of Arabic quotations from original sources are my own. For ease of use, I will generally refer to Arabic literary works by their English titles, although my sources are the original Arabic texts, as noted in the the bibliography. In cases where I have quoted an Arabic writer or speaker from an English-language secondary source (as noted in the citation), I have kept the English author ’ s translation. For the numerous Russian, German, and French writers quoted, I have relied on English translations as noted in the citations.
Preface and Acknowledgments
F or a movement that once claimed to “dominate” Arabic literature, the fate of committed Arabic writing (al-adab al-multazim) in the years after the 1952 Egyptian revolution has been little treated in literary history. This gap became particularly acute after the (unexpected) 2011 revolution, which was in fl uenced in no small part by activist Egyptian writers. The question of what became of al-adab al-multazim in the years between the highs of 1952 and 2011 is of great importance to the study of Arabic literature, Egyptian society and culture, the Arabic language, and, perhaps most importantly, for the question of the power of the literature to effect real social and political change.
This book aims to fi ll that gap through the study of three exemplars of socially engaged writing in Egypt, but also through the comparative study of committed literature movements in a variety of different countries. In this way, I hope this study will be of value not only to students of Arabic literature but also to students of world literature or of any national literature with a trend of socially engaged writing. One need not read or speak Arabic to make use of it; all necessary terms and quotes have been translated into English. Nor need one have in-depth familiarity with Egyptian literary or political history.
I have been blessed with an incredible set of academic mentors, only a few of whom I can mention here. My interest in activist Arabic literature owes largely to my mentor and guide, Professor William Granara of Harvard University. Indeed, I little understood the pivotal role of the writer in Arab politics and society, the key position of literature in the transformation of modern Arab society, or the central importance of al-adab al-multazim until I studied with Professor Granara. Over a period of mentorship lasting well over a decade and continuing today, he has taught me to see the Arabic language and literature in an entirely different way. Professor Granara has been the constant source of wisdom, advice, and encouragement without whom this book would not have been possible. Everything in the book has been in fl uenced by Professor Granara, particularly the history of iltizam in chapter 2 . The paradigm of the tripartite relationship of the actors in iltizam —a critical component of the theoretical model used in this book—came directly from Professor Granara. I have had the privilege of working with him for over a decade to re fi ne and apply this paradigm to the works discussed in this book.
My other mentor and inspiration, Professor William Mills Todd III, remains for me the epitome of the gentleman, scholar, and teacher, a man whose vast intellect is surpassed only by his genuine humility and kindness. Although he always taught us to look inside rather than outside ourselves to seek greatness, he remains for me and for countless students and graduates of Harvard the role model that we all look to as an exemplar of everything an educator should be. The section on Soviet literature is a direct result of my work with Professor Todd, but his advice and in fl uence are present in every word herein.
Professor Christopher Johnson, a sel fl essly dedicated teacher and literary theorist of amazing depth and insight, was also a constant source of guidance and inspiration during my research, not least for his ability to challenge his students to think critically, dig deeper, and never stop asking the tough questions.
My greatest inspiration and support come from my two great children, Michael and Christine, always my closest companions and the source of joy in my life. Whenever I write about al-adab al-multazim, I am reminded of how they were fresh out of kindergarten when I began studying committed literature in Egypt and are now in college. They have changed greatly over these years, and I ’ m reminded of how much the world they live in has changed as well. Through it all, they continue to amaze me with their optimism and hope.
I would also like to thank the dedicated, supportive, and helpful staff at the American University in Cairo Press for all their help and guidance, in particular Neil Hewison, Nadine El-Hadi, Nadia Naqib, and Kevin Dean. Their patience, fl exibility, and encouragement contributed tremendously to this work.
Lastly, this book, and my interest in Egyptian literature, is inspired by the amazingly kind and welcoming people of Egypt. For anyone who has been to Egypt, the deep love of a writer like Naguib Mahfouz for the Egyptian people needs no explanation; for one who has not been there, no explanation will suf fi ce. This book is in large measure my attempt to understand the intense devotion, with all its disappointment and hope, of writers whose lives and passion are committed to the sons and daught