环球英语 — 97：Nageeb Mahfouz

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Hello, I’m Marina Santee.

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And I’m Rebekah Schipper. Welcome to Spotlight 1. This programme uses a Special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

Voice 1

It is a warm night in October, 1994. An old man walks slowly out of his house. He has lived there for many years. He loves being near the Nile. This great river runs through his city, Cairo - the capital city of Egypt.

The old man gets into a car. His friend has been waiting for him. Every Friday they go out to drink coffee in town. They meet together with people who like to talk about books. The old man is a writer. People ask him questions about his books. The night is very warm. The old man opens the car window. All of a sudden a young man puts his hand through the window. The old man is not surprised. Many people want to shake his hand. But the young man does not want to meet him. He wants to kill him. The young man pushes a knife into the old man’s neck. Then he runs away.

The old man’s friend is quick to react. He is a doctor. He knows what to do in a crisis 2. He places his hand hard over the wound. The bleeding stops. Next, he helps the old man into the Police Hospital. This hospital is just near to the old man’s house. After a few minutes, the old man is lying on an operating table. The doctors manage to save his life.

Voice 2

Who is this old man? His name is Nageeb Mahfouz and he is one of Egypt’s best known writers. Nageeb Mahfouz was born in Egypt in 1911. He studied at Cairo University. He studied philosophy - what humans believe and think. In 1934 he began to work for the Egyptian government. But he also made time to do what he liked best: writing. Nageeb Mahfouz had been writing since he was a child. He once said:

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“I started writing while I was at school. I was influenced by modern Arab writers like El-Manfalouti and Taha Hussein. They gave me a great desire to write.”

Voice 2

Nageeb Mahfouz wrote more than fifty books. He also created many short stories and five plays. Nageeb Mahfouz represented the traditional people of Cairo. He had lived in the old city for many years and he knew it well. He liked to describe how people behaved in everyday life. His most famous work is called, “The Cairo Trilogy”.

These are three books about the same family - the Al Jawad family. The story starts in 1917, during the First World War. Many things happen to the family and to their country. The story ends in 1952, when Egypt loses its king. The family has changed and the country has changed. In the first book we meet Mr al-Jawad. He is the head of the family. He is very hard to please. His wife and sons are afraid of him.

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“The mother carried in a large tray 3 of food. She placed it on the cloth. She withdrew 4 to the side of the room. She was standing 5 near a table. The table had a water jug 6 on it. She waited there, ready to obey any command. Their father ate a lot of food very quickly. His sons did not eat much food. They were afraid to behave normally 7. Their father would punish them if they did something wrong.”

Voice 1

In 1988, Nageeb became the first Arabic writer to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. He said,

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“I felt extreme happiness as well as great surprise. I never expected to win the prize. I had heard that an Arab writer may some day win the Nobel Prize. But I did not believe it would happen.”

Voice 1

Many people in the Arab world were very pleased. One of their own people had received an international prize. More people began to read Nageeb’s books. But not everyone was happy. Some religious leaders did not agree with one of his books. This book was called, “Children of Gebelawi”. It tells the story of a rich man who sends his sons away from his house on the mountain. They live as normal men in the city. But their father still secretly controls them. Many readers believed that this rich man represented God. They believed his sons represented the holy men in Islam. The Islamic leaders decided 8 that Nageeb had betrayed 9 his religion. They said that it is wrong to write about a man in a way that represents God.

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One particular leader was very unhappy. His name was Omar Abdel Rahman. He did not approve of this story. He even said that Nageeb should have been punished. Omar Abdel Rahman had a lot of influence. One young man listened especially to what he said. He became angry. That is why this young man attacked Nageeb Mahfouz in October 1994.

Voice 1

After the attack, Nageeb Mahfouz was in hospital for seven [7] weeks. The knife had cut a nerve 10 in his right arm. His arm was very weak. He could not even hold a pen. But he exercised hard. And after many months he could use his right hand a little. After the attack Nageeb said:

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“Some people are trying to put out the light of reason and thought. This is too extreme. We must be careful.”

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Nageeb Mahfouz was a Muslim. But he believed that writers should be able to write what they wanted. He believed in tolerance 11. Tolerance is when you accept other people’s rights to have different ideas.

Voice 1

Nageeb Mahfouz was never the same after the knife attack. He continued to have many health problems. In July 2006, he fell in the street. He cut his head and had to go to hospital. He never came out again. Nageeb Mahfouz died on August the thirtieth in the Police Hospital near his home. He was ninety-four [94] years old.

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People around the world were very sad when they heard the news. Another Egyptian writer said:

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“He came to this world only to write.”

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The President of Egypt also praised Nageeb:

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“Mahfouz was a cultural light who brought Arabic literature into the world.”

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In Cairo the government built a statue in his honour. The street where he used to live is now called “Nageeb Mahfouz” Street. People in Egypt and the whole world will remember Nageeb Mahfouz - the man whose writing influenced the world.