Dialogues of Naguib Mahfouz: Born a genius By Mohamed Salmawy Is literary genius an attribute that the individual is born with? This was a question which was directed to Naguib Mahfouz in an interview, to which he answered: Creativity is a basic instinct in human beings in general. But for it to attain the level of genius is doubtless a special talent with which some are born and others are not. A sound educational system may glean such genius early on and nourish it till it reaches maturity. Otherwise it will fade and stop evolving. Countless geniuses amongst our children have been stifled because we failed to adopt them when they were young. It is society's duty to discover such genius and nourish it rather than ignore it. But the question is if our society is ready and has the means to discover talent, let alone genius, in our children. The interviewer then commented: But hasn't Egypt produced many geniuses throughout its history? Mahfouz: This is true and it will continue to happen. But we are still not the ones who were responsible for their appearance. There is a difference between genius discovered early on and given the proper attention so it flourishes, and one that appears despite the odds and society's ignoring it and, in fact, its striving hard to actually wipe it out. Genius implies singularity. A child who is a genius differs greatly from other children, yet in our society, in both the educational system and public life a child is induced to fit the "mold" and be like his or her peers. We are not a society that accepts difference although it is in this very difference that genius finds its expression. The interviewer then asked: What about literary genius? What are its distinguishing features? Mahfouz: Let us talk about literary creativity, of which genius is quite an advanced phase. What distinguishes writers from others is their high degree of sensitivity. They empathise with their surroundings more than others do, and are more affected by their environment. We all see the moon for instance, but the writer is moved by its sight to the extent of writing a poem that makes us perceive things about the moon, which we would not have otherwise seen. He then added: What a writer is influenced with might not always be related to the moon or its glory. A writer is yet even more susceptible to society's attacks on him or her and this again finds expression in literary works which may cost a writer dearly. This is a fate that the writer will willingly accept, however. It is true what the classic poem says that "he who observes other people dies of depression. It is only the bold of heart who gains pleasure."
