Naguib Mahfouz: The Passage of the Century 1999
Distributed by First Run/Icarus Films, 32 Court St., 21st Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201; 800-876-1710
Produced by Francka Mouloudi
Directed by Francka Mouloudi
VHS, color, 50 min.
Sr. High - Adult
Literature, Biography, Aging, Human Rights, Middle Eastern Studies, Philosophy, Religious Studies
Date Entered: 08/25/2006
Reviewed by Brad Eden, Ph.D., Head, Web and Digitization Services, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las VegasThis film is an interview with Naguib Mahfouz, the only Arab Nobel Laureate for Literature. At the time of the interview, Mahfouz was 88 years old, half blind and deaf, and crippled by a recent assassination attempt. Mahfouz describes his life, from his childhood through his love of literature, from the city of Cairo to the evolution of Egypt, to Islamic fundamentalism and the role of women in culture. It is a fascinating look at one of the giants of modern Arab literature.