Mahfouz Naguib, the only Arabic-language writer to win a Nobel Prize and Egypt’s most famous author, died this morning in Cairo at age 94. Best known for his Cairo Trilogy, he was a controversial figure who repeatedly rankled conservatives. His book Children of Gabalawi was banned by Islamic authories in 1959 for including characters who represented God and the prophets, and in 1994, he was stabbed by a militant angered about such portrayals. Of the latter, he said, “They are trying to extinguish the light of reason and thought. Beware.”
Writes Issandr El Amrani:
Naguib Mahfouz was an Egyptian archetype – a pragmatic, down-to-earth, somewhat fatalistic, stubborn man who liked to keep his head down and observe the world around him with humour and irony. “Life is wise to deceive us,” he once wrote, “for had it told us from the start what it had in store for us, we would refuse to be born.“
[...] • Top ten to remember: We lost many great creators in ‘06. Let’s not forget them: artist Nam June Paik, reggae/ska legend Desmond Dekker, Egyptian novelist/Nobel prizewinner Mahfouz Naguib, filmmaker Robert Altman, Aeron chair designer Bill Stumpf, installation artist Jason Rhoades, • Favorite Walker acquisition: Dr. Lakra’s flash art Actually acquired in 2005, I learned of our acquisition of seven works on paper by Mexican artist Dr. Lakra from Tyler Green’s blog. Amid our excellent collection of Minimalist works, our wonderful cache of Beuys multiples, and every one of Matthew Barney’s Cremaster films, it’s great to see the earthy, carnivalesque work of this Mexico City-based artist. • Favorite single artwork: Thomas Hirschhorn’s Cavemanman When I met Hirschhorn during the installation of our show Heart of Darkness, I had the gall to tell him I didn’t get his work, especially the huge Swiss Army knife made of cardboard, tape, aluminum foil, and cellophane he showed here in 1998. But walking through the shiny and claustrophobic tunnels of Cavemanman, I was moved by the over-the-top-ness of it and the germaneness of it to current events. Discussing the project with him only underscored my change of, ahem, heart.• Favorite bumpersticker: “Think About Honking If You (Heart) Conceptual Art” [...]
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