AM Literature: How Naguib Mahfouz connected Serbia and Egypt

In the period when Serbian-Egyptian diplomatic and cultural relations were not at the desirable level (which was primarily the period of the 90s of the 20th century), a cultural and literary initiative appeared that maintained the long thread that connects Serbia and Egypt, two traditionally friendly countries, and two friendly nations.

Serbian writer Gordana Nikolić during the visit to Naguib Mahfouz, Cairo, 1996

Namely, the Serbian writer Gordana Nikolić (born in 1965 in Belgrade, where she lives and works) went to Cairo, where she visited the only Egyptian Nobel laureate, as well as the only winner of the Nobel Prize for literature in the entire Arab world - Nagib Mahfouz. In his house, in Cairo, she made a memorable interview on that occasion.

From that encounter, new cultural initiatives were born that aimed to strengthen the relationship between Serbia and Egypt.

It is known that the Egyptian writer Nagib Mahfouz did not like to travel. The only exception were his visits to Belgrade. He didn't like traveling to such an extent that he didn't even go to Stockholm to receive the Nobel Prize. Nevertheless, he loved Belgrade. And Belgrade loved him.

In the interview he gave to the Serbian writer Gordana Nikolić, Mahfuz talked about his life, his literary works, the assassination, and his visit to Yugoslavia. What followed after that interview was more than literary and cultural cooperation.

The crown of this interesting intercultural cooperation was the publication of an interview that Gordana Nikolić conducted with Mahfuz. This interview was published as part of the edition entitled “Conversation on the Nile”.

This was also the suitable occasion for the next Serbian-Egyptian literary initiative.

Namely, the renowned Serbian poet and respected editor and cultural worker, Vlasta Mladenović, as a result of this collaboration, came up with the idea of ​​preparing an anthology of Serbian poetry that would be translated into Arabic and published in Cairo, the city where the great lived and died. The Egyptian Nobel laureate Nagib Mahfuz made the greatest contribution to that cultural campaign. On his recommendation, a book was published under the title An anthology of Serbian poetry in Arabic - from Branko Radičević to Branko Miljković, including folk poetry. The book was translated into Arabic by Isaac Abu Laban. The book was promoted in Negotin and Belgrade.

In Negotin, in today's Hajduk Veljko Museum, the ambassador of Iraq, Samir Al Hussein, and the translator of the book, Isaac Abu Laban, spoke at the promotion of this book (as evidenced by a preserved audio recording).

At the promotion in Belgrade, which was held at the Association of Writers of Serbia in 1997, spoke the ambassador of Egypt at that time and professor of the Faculty of Philology, Dr. Rade Božović.

Almost a decade later, the Serbian writer Gordana Nikolić wrote a book (novel) entitled “Hunter, the Nobel Prize Winner and Me”, which was published in 2007, inspired by the mentioned Serbian-Egyptian cultural and literary initiative of Vlasta Mladenović.

The extent to which this cooperation was interesting and valuable, and the extent to which the Serbian poet Vlasta Mladenović was amazed by Mahfuz's creativity, is also supported by the fact that he wrote a poem dedicated to this great Egyptian, which has the working title “Letter to Nagib Mahfuz” and is preserved in the manuscript archive of the author, waiting for the moment when it will shine in its full glory.

The Book and Travel Museum led by Viktor Lazić, who in 2021 received the book with an original signature by the Egyptian Nobel laureate, made sure that this whole story about Nagib Mahfouz and his literary and cultural ties with Serbia continued.

The book arrived at the Association for Culture, Art and International Cooperation "Adligat” thanks to H.E. Egyptian Ambassador Amr Aljowaily. It is good to notice that Mahfuz's dedications are a real rarity and are highly sought after by collectors, especially because he is considered one of the first modern writers of Arabic literature.

The ceremonial handover was attended by the president of the Serbian-Egyptian Friendship Society, Aneta Đermanović, professor Darko Tanasković, who personally knew the Egyptian Nobel laureate and told the audience a few words about that acquaintance.

This certainly represents the opening of a new chapter in the development of Serbian-Egyptian relations, in the history of which Serbian writers Gordana Nikolić and Vlasta Mladenović left a significant mark.

TEXT: Ana Stjelja

SOURCE AND PHOTO:

Vedran Mladenović / Adligat