He is mainly known for being as one of the first Arabic literature contemporary writers. Every day, Mahfouz would write for the duration of one hour during his 70-year career; he wrote 25 movie scripts, seven plays, 350 short stories and 34 novels. The Egyptian cinema has witnessed over 30 movies that were based on Mahfouz’s novels and literary works.In 1994, an Islamic extremist attempted to assassinate Mahfouz, who was 82 at the time, due to his controversial novel “Awlad Haretna” (The Children of Gebelawi). The novel spoke about God and the prophets, and creatively explained the philosophy of religion. While the American University in Cairo (AUC) recognized him with a doctorate in 1995; Mahfouz was chosen as an honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Institute of Arts.

Source: Egypt Today May 24, 2018 16:41 UTC