“Zokak el Madak” novel transfers to a play

CAIRO – 25 November 2017: Egyptian producer Yousry el Sharkawy received the copyrights to turn Naguib Mahfouz’s novel “Zokak el Madak” into a play.

Sharkawy was granted the copyrights for “Zokak el Madak” from Mahfouz’s family.

Mahfouz was the first Arabic author to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1988. He was born in the Gamaliya quarter of Cairo in 1911.

He had a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and a master’s in Islamic Philosophy, before he shifted his career to literature.

He started his literary career by publishing a number of historical novels, such as “Kefaah Tebah” (Tebah Struggle) in 1939, and then he shifted to the realistic category by publishing “El Qahera El Gadeda” (New Cairo) and “Khan El Khalili”.

He wrote in a psychological realism style in social novels. He also wrote in the magical realism, such as the novel “El Harafeesh”, and in 1952 he published his most famous and critical work, “Awlaad Haretna” (Children of Gebelawi).

His last work was a short story collection entitled “Ahlam Fatret El Nakaha” (Recovery Period Dreams) in 2004.

Mahfouz inspired a number of Arab and international writers.

Mahfouz was honored by the government, as he received the Egyptian State Prize twice for his writings. Promoting great collections of Arabic narratives locally and internationally, Mahfouz received honors countless times, including an honorary doctorate from the American University in Cairo in 1995. He was also chosen as an honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Institute of Arts.

Following his death, Mahfouz’s works further resonated in the Egyptian literary scene, where the AUC Press has become his main English language publisher and agent of all translation rights. The agreement was signed with Mahfouz prior to his death, and there are around 600 editions in 40 languages for his works displayed at the AUC Press.