Dialogues of Naguib Mahfouz: A world in interview By Mohamed Salmawy For the last 12 years of his life, Naguib Mahfouz received me every single week. At six on Saturday nights, we would sit together, a voice recorder on the nearby table, and have a conversation about one thing or another. This conversation would appear in Al-Ahram the following Thursday, entitled "Dialogue with Naguib Mahfouz." There is a story behind those encounters. For years, Mahfouz wrote a weekly column for Al-Ahram, discontinuing it only after a criminal attack deprived him of the use of his right arm. Following extensive physical therapy, he regained some muscle control in his right hand, but could only write for a maximum of half an hour a day. Needless to say, he preferred to use that time for his literary endeavours. What about his column? "I cannot justify taking money from Al-Ahram anymore without writing," he once told me. "Your mere employment is an honour for Al-Ahram. If you ask me, they should pay you more -- just to keep you around," I said. He wasn't convinced. "Please tell the editor-in-chief that I am very sorry for not being able to do the column. But I would be happy to turn the weekly column into an interview that you conduct every week." "Why don't you dictate to me what you want to say?" I suggested. "I don't go out much and have lost touch with current events. You, however, are in touch with what's going around us. You can choose any topic to discuss with me," the writer replied. "Sure, I can suggest topics for you to discuss, and then I will write it down in the form of a column and publish it under your name," I said. "No. I don't want to deceive the reader. This is an interview and must be reported as it is. I am sure that this formula will work, simply because we differ in many respects. I am from the 1919 generation and you're from the 1952 generation. I am a mostly a novelist, while you're basically a playwright. I am a realist, while your plays are often absurdist. I do not want an interviewer who agrees with me on everything," Mahfouz continued. Still, most of the time, it was Mahfouz who chose the subject of discussion. I would rack my brains to find a topic that was current and relevant to his experience, so it would enliven general debate. Then I would go see Mahfouz and he would say, "No, I don't want to discuss that. Let's talk about ..." and he would go on to suggest something totally different. During those 12 years I accumulated hundreds of hours of recorded interviews with Mahfouz, with the great novelist commenting on literature, politics, social affairs, and life in general. I still listen to these recordings on Saturdays, and his views often seem as vital today as they were then.
