The Associate Professor in the Department of Criticism and Dramatic Literature at the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts, Nermin al-Houti, discussed why the late Egyptian author Naguib Mahfouz remains an enduring icon of Arabic literature. Al-Houti took part in a wide-ranging intellectual symposium titled Identity in the Literature of Naguib Mahfouz, held as part of the Fair Personality program. Al-Houti observed that Mahfouz successfully projected Egyptian national identity onto the global stage through his depiction of the “Al-Hara” (a traditional alleyway). During the symposium, al-Houti outlined four primary pillars for studying identity in Mahfouz’s literature, beginning with the documentation of social and political transformations across Egypt and the Arab world. Often referred to as the “Balzac of the Arabs,” he is credited with maturing the novel form within Arabic literature and bringing it to a global audience.

Source: Egypt Independent January 27, 2026 01:12 UTC