Dialogues of Naguib Mahfouz: Death of a leader By Mohamed Salmawy Naguib Mahfouz was a great admirer of Saad Zaghloul, the man who led the nationalist movement in Egypt in the 1920s. Tears swelled in Mahfouz's eyes as he recounted his recollections of the great leader. "The day Saad Pasha died was the worst day in my life. I still remember it like yesterday: Tuesday, 23 August 1927. I wasn't yet 16, but my entire soul gushed with the fervour of the 1919 revolt and the love I had for its leader. I was only seven when the revolt erupted, and I watched the turbulence from behind the lattice window of our old house in Gammaliya. Our house faced Beit Al-Qadi Square and I stood there watching as the demonstrators gathered, calling for independence and defying the bullets of British occupation soldiers. A few died right in front of my eyes. "One day, my father came home with a petition calling for Saad Pasha to represent the nation in negotiations for independence. My father signed it and my mother, who couldn't read or write, stamped it with an imprint of her thumb. These were my formative years, from seven to 16, and I was filled with zeal for the ideals and principles of the 1919 revolt. I believed in independence, and I knew that the Wafd (delegation- turned-party) was created for that national goal, for which many Egyptians sacrificed their lives. "The Wafd was the epitome of the nationalist movement and Saad Pasha was the epitome of the Wafd. So his death threatened to take away all the nation's aspirations that he had come to embody. But when Mustafa El-Nahhas replaced Saad Pasha [as Wafd leader] he too turned out to be a phenomenal leader, and I transferred my love to him. Despite my young age, I often took part in the protests calling for independence, and some of my colleagues were hit by the bullets of British soldiers. "The Wafd gave me some of my happiest memories, as when El-Nahhas Pasha signed the 1936 treaty, in which England recognised Egypt as an independent monarchy. I still remember that day. I was sitting at Al-Fishawi Café when the news came. The café erupted with joy, cheers and laughter. But with time, I discovered that the king was the greatest beneficiary of that treaty. His powers doubled and that led to corruption. As the days passed, my hatred of the monarchy grew," Mahfouz said. "It was the 1952 Revolution that ended the monarchy and achieved independence," I said. "The history of nations is a continuum, not a series of isolated events. It was the 1919 Revolution that embodied the nationalist demands for independence, freedom and democracy. Had it not been for the 1919 Revolution, the 1952 Revolution wouldn't have taken place. The Wafd contributed, albeit indirectly, to the 1952 Revolution, for the 1936 treaty led to an increase in the size of the army. Consequently, many more ordinary Egyptians began joining the army and it was from their ranks that the Free Officers emerged. Although the Wafd never called for a republican system in a direct manner, we grew up hating the monarchy. And had he had the opportunity, Saad Pasha would have abolished it. "Saad Pasha was an extraordinary leader, sophisticated and yet inspiring. He was a lawyer, a politician, a great orator and an outstanding intellectual. And it wasn't all about his intellect. The man had a big heart. Egyptians saw him as a father figure and everyone trusted him. So his death was harder on me than the death of my own father. I was young when my father died, so I didn't feel the loss in the same way I felt it when Saad Pasha passed away," Mahfouz said.
