Critical Essay | Critical Essay by S. Somekh

Critical Essay by S. Somekh

SOURCE: Somekh, S. “Za‘balāwī—Author, Theme, and Technique.” Journal of Arabic Literature 1 (1970): 24-35.

In the following essay, Somekh maintains that “Zabalawi” foreshadows themes and narrative techniques that recur in Mahfouz's later writing.

“Za‘balāwī,” a short story by Najīb Maḥfūz, was first published in 1961, and in 1963 it was incorporated with other stories in Maḥfūz's book Dunyā’ Allāh (The World of God)¹. Because it is a short story it is hardly representative of the author's work as a whole, since Maḥfūz is essentially a novelist (up to 1967 he published some twenty novels as opposed to only three collections of short stories). Nevertheless “Za‘balāwī” is an excellent example of a recurrent theme in Maḥfūz's work, which, in fact, constitutes the backbone of his later novels, especially those published in the 'sixties. Our story also foreshadows certain techniques and modes of writing which are characteristic of his more mature works.