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Egypt Nobel winner Mahfouz dies Egypt Nobel winner Mahfouz dies
(about 1 hour later)
Egypt's Nobel Prize-winning writer Naguib Mahfouz has died in hospital in the capital, Cairo, aged 94.Egypt's Nobel Prize-winning writer Naguib Mahfouz has died in hospital in the capital, Cairo, aged 94.
Mahfouz had been in hospital since mid-July after he fell during a midnight stroll and injured his head.Mahfouz had been in hospital since mid-July after he fell during a midnight stroll and injured his head.
His vibrant portrayal of the Egyptian capital in his Cairo Trilogy won the 1988 Nobel Prize for literature.His vibrant portrayal of the Egyptian capital in his Cairo Trilogy won the 1988 Nobel Prize for literature.
He had suffered health problems since being stabbed in the neck in 1994 by an Islamist extremist, angry at his portrayal of God in one of his novels.He had suffered health problems since being stabbed in the neck in 1994 by an Islamist extremist, angry at his portrayal of God in one of his novels.
After that incident, he was in hospital for seven weeks and suffered nerve damage in his neck, which limited his ability to write and caused his eyesight and hearing to deteriorate.After that incident, he was in hospital for seven weeks and suffered nerve damage in his neck, which limited his ability to write and caused his eyesight and hearing to deteriorate.
Mahfouz's Nobel Prize brought international recognition to a man already regarded in the Middle East as one of its best writers and premier intellectuals.Mahfouz's Nobel Prize brought international recognition to a man already regarded in the Middle East as one of its best writers and premier intellectuals.
The Egyptian writer, Ahdaf Souief, who knew Mahfouz well, said the writer was a "massively important influence" on Arabic literature.
He said: "He was our greatest living novelist for a very long time... Mahfouz was an innovator in the use of the Arabic language.
MAHFOUZ FACTS 1911: Born in Cairo1934:Graduated in philosophy from Cairo University 1959: Al-Azhar, one of the most important Islamic institutions in the world, bans novel because it includes characters representing God and the prophets1988: First and only Arab to win Nobel Prize for literature1994: Mahfouz stabbed in the neck by Islamist militant angered by his work Obituary: Naguib MahfouzMAHFOUZ FACTS 1911: Born in Cairo1934:Graduated in philosophy from Cairo University 1959: Al-Azhar, one of the most important Islamic institutions in the world, bans novel because it includes characters representing God and the prophets1988: First and only Arab to win Nobel Prize for literature1994: Mahfouz stabbed in the neck by Islamist militant angered by his work Obituary: Naguib Mahfouz
"He also embodied the whole development of the Arabic novel starting with historical novels in the late 1940s through realism, through experimentalism and so on."
He added: "He single-handedly went through the whole development of the Arabic novel and made innovation possible for generations of writers after him."
The Cairo Trilogy - Palace Walk, Palace of Desire and Sugar Street, all of which appeared in the 1950s - detailed the adventures and misadventures of a Muslim merchant family.The Cairo Trilogy - Palace Walk, Palace of Desire and Sugar Street, all of which appeared in the 1950s - detailed the adventures and misadventures of a Muslim merchant family.
The books introduced a character who became an icon in Egyptian culture: Si-Sayed, the domineering father who holds his family together.The books introduced a character who became an icon in Egyptian culture: Si-Sayed, the domineering father who holds his family together.
Controversy came in 1959 with the publication of the novel Children of Gebelawi.Controversy came in 1959 with the publication of the novel Children of Gebelawi.
First serialised in Egyptian newspapers, it caused an uproar and was banned by the Egyptian religious authorities on the grounds it violated Islamic rules by including characters who clearly represented God and the prophets.First serialised in Egyptian newspapers, it caused an uproar and was banned by the Egyptian religious authorities on the grounds it violated Islamic rules by including characters who clearly represented God and the prophets.
But it was published in Lebanon and later translated into English.But it was published in Lebanon and later translated into English.
Final work
In a career that spanned decades, Mahfouz published more than 30 novels, short stories, plays, newspaper columns, essays, travelogues, memoirs and political analyses.In a career that spanned decades, Mahfouz published more than 30 novels, short stories, plays, newspaper columns, essays, travelogues, memoirs and political analyses.
His final published major work - a collection of stories about the afterlife titled The Seventh Heaven - came in 2005.His final published major work - a collection of stories about the afterlife titled The Seventh Heaven - came in 2005.
"I wrote The Seventh Heaven because I want to believe something good will happen to me after death," he told the Associated Press in December 2005."I wrote The Seventh Heaven because I want to believe something good will happen to me after death," he told the Associated Press in December 2005.
"Spirituality for me is of high importance and continuously provides inspiration for me.""Spirituality for me is of high importance and continuously provides inspiration for me."