The Cairo Trilogy: An Existential Reading in Three Generations of this Novel

Abstract

The researcher in this paper elaborates the writings of Naguib Mahfouz from an existential perspective in Cairo Trilogy. Mahfouz concludes that western scholars and politicians conceal the realities of daily life in Egypt, which Mahfouz reveals. In Mahfouz’s Cairo Trilogy, one can find an openness and acceptance in Egyptian society for other faiths and cultures. The researcher will illustrate how there is an important acceptance of internal existential and religious struggles amongst individuals in the society during this novel. The researcher focuses on the character and the inner psychological conflicts in these characters. It seems that this is an important aspect of Egyptian identity. The idea that Egyptians or Muslims are struggling mainly with the West is contradictory to Mahfouz’s characterizations. He asserts that Egyptians have their own internal struggles because of the diversity of their ideologies.

The Manifestation of Sovereign Power in the Novel Yauma Qutila al-Zaim by Najib Mahfudz

“…It can say that the social reality described by Najib is in direct contact with the social conditions of the middle class. From this tendency, as an author, Najib always uses narratives closely related to the nuances of social course, criticism, and the resistance of the Egyptian people in his work (Naem & Janoory, 2020). Najib Mahfudz's work in Arabic literature is considered very influential and has a significant role in further developments.…”