Egyptian Is 1st Arab to Win Nobel Prize for Literature

Naguib Mahfouz of Egypt, an Arab storyteller who chronicled the search for human values from the Nile delta of the Pharaohs to the back alleys of modern Cairo, won the 1988 Nobel Prize for literature today.

Mahfouz, the first Arab writer to win the award in its 87-year history, has been compared to Charles Dickens for his vivid portrayals of poverty.

One book of his was banned in Egypt, and another attacked former President Gamal Abdel Nasser’s domestic and pan-Arabist policies.

The Swedish Academy honored him for advancing the art of the novel, a relatively new genre in Arabic literature.

“His work speaks to us all,” the academy said.

Mahfouz, 76, was awakened from an afternoon nap at his Cairo home and told the news. He said he was “very happy and thankful for the Arab world” and added:

“I congratulate the Egyptian people that one of its small people won a big award, (but) it’s not too big for Egypt. I hope this will be the first step for our literary generations. We have taken a lot and must now give.”

The award continued a recent trend of the 18-member body to seek laureates outside the mainstream of European and American literature. Wole Soyinka of Nigeria was honored in 1986. Exiled Russian poet Joseph Brodsky won last year.

Mahfouz, the son of a Cairo civil servant, has shown little admiration for contemporary Arab writers, including himself.

Once asked to appraise his work, he said: “Probably like the rest of modern Arabic literature, fourth- or fifth-rate.”

The 1988 prize is worth $390,000 but it inevitably brings a further bonus in royalties and prestige.