The BA Celebrates the Centennial of Naguib Mahfouz in 2011
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Alexandria—The BA prepares to celebrate the centennial of the birth of Egyptian Great Author Naguib Mahfouz during 2011, to highlight the pioneering role of Egyptian culture in the Arab world and worldwide.
The celebrations is to include a travelling exhibition of his personal items, publications in different languages narrating his life story and literary history, in addition to lectures and film screenings.
To organize this celebration in the most apt way, the BA formed a special committee, chaired by Dr. Ismail Serageldin, Director of the Library of Alexandria. Members of the committee include people who were close to Mahfouz, and individuals with eminent cultural experience such as Writer Mohamed Salamawy, Head of the Egyptian Writers Union; Dr. Gaber Assfour, Head of National Translation Center; Engineer Ibrahim El-Maalam, Head of Arab Publishers Union; Writer Gamal El-Ghetany; Critic Salah Fadl; Writer and Nobel Laureate Nadine Gordimer; Poet and Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka; Dr. Soliman El-Askary, Editor in Chief of El- Arabai Magazine; and Mark Linz, Head of the Amirican University in Cairo (AUC) Press.
In its first upcoming meeting, the committee proposes its vision of celebrating Egypt’s most famous novelist, and sets the action plan for the coming 2 years. The celebration is intended to reflect the Egyptian character that Mahfouz portrayed in all his works.