The Thief And The Dogs
(Najib Mahfuz)
In 1988 Najib Mahfuz, the Cairene, became the first Arab to win a Nobel Prize for Literature, and as such it is hard to overlook his contribution both to world Literature and in terms of his providing a moyen for accessing the ever-expanding corpus of modern Arabic literature.
Though it was not the book which won him this most prestigious of honours, 'The Thief and the Dogs', or al-Liss wa'l-Kilab to use the Arabic title, is a fine example of a number of Mahfuz's literary stylistic qualities.
Chronicling the story of Said Mahran, the novel charts its protagonist from his release from prison through to his attempts to win his revenge for the betrayal he perceives from the rest of the world. His wife has moved into the arms of his friend, and his child no longer recognises him. Meantime, his mentor in the art of thieving has gone straight, and subsequently Mahfuz's character is constructed to feel ostracised from the world and those supposedly closest to him, and his determination to right these wrongs creates further problems, causing a vicious circle of recriminations.
Mahfuz pioneers the use of internal monologue, a blinkered but intensely personal reflection on the life of Said Mahran. It is a style of writing hitherto unseen in Arabic literature at this time. At the same time, his fierce passion for Cairo means that the Egyptian capital plays the suitable backdrop to events.
At first glance Mahfuz's 'The Thief and The Dogs' might be mistaken for a psychological criminal thriller. On the simplest level it fulfils these expectations, but its waters run far deeper. It is the first attempt in Arabic to present, with hints of existentialism, the perspective of a flawed human being, a tragic hero, and its place in Arabic literature is thus secured.
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