The Thief and The Dogs

Hello Gentle Reader

It is still safe to say that North Africa is still feeling the winds of change brushing through its streets. Now it is up to the people though to keep the hope. To keep the ideals alive. To keep it all working, and moving. A better future. A better life. A better world. This is what every person – or so I am told; believes in. Everyone wishes to better their own lives though. By bettering their own lives, then that person is able to better the rest of the world. Or so some people think. Though it can be said is true. Some rather wealthy people have made some outstanding contributions to the world, through charities, and other events. While others are far more interested in their own lavish parties, and other events. However when one makes money, it becomes their own money. They can make the deals. They can call the shots. It is their money. But the protests in North Africa and the Middle East, continue to simmer and bubble on the surface. Even though media attention – which/whose attention can only be described as Attention Deficit Disorder; or who has the attention span of a door knob or welcome mat; has chosen of late not to focus on the issues happening in North Africa and the Middle East. The fate of Egypt’s revolution are all but difficult to find. Will change come? Will some reforms be made to a country whose beaten and bruised; whipped not only with the desert winds but with the sound lashing of the political tyrants as well. What of the current state of affairs of Lebanon, and now Syria. One can only hope – but keep realistic expectations on what may or may not happen.

These idealistic tendencies that these young and educated people are screaming – much like Fahmy in Naguib Mahfouz the nineteen-eighty eight Nobel Laureate in Literature’s first novel in his grand trilogy of novels “The Cairo Trilogy,” (the first instalment) “Palace Walk.” Though idealism also has a less flattering side to it. In Naguib Mahfouz’s nineteen sixty one novel (publication date of course) “The Thief and The Dogs,” – which was also made into a film in ninety sixty two; but also in ninety seventy five was made into a television series that only lasted for one season; shows the other side of idealism. Said Mahran the protagonist of the novel or novella, is an idealistic – overly idealistic; man who has a pretentious attitude towards intellect and justice. A petty thief – something he doesn’t appear to have much shame in; is released from prison after a four year sentence. Presumably for thievery. Prison has done little to change Said’s idealistic outlook on life – though he does appear more angrier and bitter towards the betrayal that he himself claims has happened on to him. His good friend Ilish; his former wife Nabawiyya; and old mentor Rauf Ilwan have all betrayed him in some format or another.

Said’s worldview in some format or another was never one, to realistic. In fact it’s fair to say that it was rather overtly zealous, pious, and rather pompous. He sees a world cruel, and unforgiving. A world that has betrayed him many times before, and will not cease to betray him. However while the world has beaten him. Lashed him with whips in prison, he also picked up a skill – tailoring. After four years of prison, and picking up a new skill, would one think that Said would be able to live a normal life. Learning his lesson? Seeing the error of his overtly ways? It appears not. Seeing as he could have easily gone and worked in a tailor shop, enjoying a quiet and easy life, reading his books and getting to know his baby daughter who has since grown in his absence, and even have started a relationship with her; it appears that Said is or was far more interested in exacting revenge against the people he called “the dogs.” The people who had sent him to prison, who had betrayed him, and taken everything away from him. Whatever sense of intellectual pursuits, and rational mind he had, had since been corrupted by the thick thorny veins of vengeance and bitterness.

Said makes on claim, and one claim only. That he will display his own sense of judgement, his own sense of justice, and his own sense of peace with himself and the world, with the elimination and nullification, of the three people who have betrayed him. Who destroyed the life he once had. Who had warped him into a beast. Who have turned his daughter against him. Who left him for four years in prison to rot, and be tortured. Said blames the society he lives in quiet simply for his defeat. For his sentence, and for his current predicament. The putrid and disgusting society that he see’s disgusts him so much, not only in its attempt at justice, but its outright mockery of the justice system has left a rather disillusioned thief by the name of Said, whose main purpose is the murder of the three dogs, who had betrayed them. He makes it is his statement that he will kill them until he himself is killed.

If I remember correct from my edition of this – which comes with an short, simple and sweet introduction for each of the novella’s; this novella was the first time Naguib Mahfouz used the stream-of- consciousness in his writing. Which it does regardless. The stream-of- consciousness technique had allowed Naguib Mahfouz the opportunity to search deep inside the very twisted, tortured mind of Said and his abysmal soul. The stream-of- consciousness technique used in “The Thief and The Dogs,” is generally different then Naguib Mahfouz’s other work – or more specifically his earlier work; like “The Cairo Trilogy,” which is grounded more thoroughly in a realist style fiction of Charles Dickens and Honoré de Balzac. “The Thief and The Dogs,” is much more Marcel Proust and Virginia Woolf in its more modernist approach of exploring the mind of the character. However Naguib Mahfouz’s novel “The Thief and The Dogs,” is not a complicated read at all. It is a tightly plotted novel. It is quick paced. Not to mention direct and decisive. However the shortness of this novel which can almost be called novella; let’s not split hairs here; also has a lot of potential that is not entirely grabbed in this work. There is a lot of potential to explore the past of Said, and his acquaintances and friends and former colleagues. There are a few scenes, where Said remarks about the palm tree he climbed like a nimble monkey in his younger days to grab his future wife, but also future former wife. But the more detailed version would be also quite nice to see. It would be really interesting to see Said before, and then Said after his prison time.

That being said; to see the main character Said after prison is quite interesting. As the reader one does not get to see him before hand. They are only left with a rather unstable and abstract man who sees himself, as a personal form of justice. A form of justice that wishes to take a sense of vengeance against those that had betrayed him. Cost him four years of his life; one thousand four hundred and sixty days; not to mention countless hours, minutes, and seconds he spent wasting away in prison, waiting for his opportunity at freedom, only to find the world has changed in four short years. His mentor Rauf Ilwan is a wealthy journalist and businessman. His former wife Nabawiyya has betrayed him and married the treacherous dog Ilish. All this confounds, and confuses a man, who expects the world to be as it was. Perhaps the only person that had not changed, and meets and greets Said with open arms is the Sheikh – who is more a metaphysical being in his confusing riddles taken from the Koran; yet a good hearted and good natured man. Though somewhat paradoxical in many ways, such as the time he said that he was reciting some of the saddest verses of the Koran to himself, though in a happy state of mind. Then there is Nur, the prostitute. The oddest of creatures in this entire novel. Why she loves Said is beyond me; though her devotion is unflinching and sometimes startling. Though the Nur part could have used some expansion. Certainly it could have used some more explanation, as to how Nur and Tarzan had come to know Said.

“The Thief and The Dogs,” in some retrospect or another is a lesser known novel of the first Egyptian Nobel Laureate in Literature Naguib Mahfouz. It is the first novel to imply the stream-of- consciousness writing method in the Arabic novel, sealing Naguib Mahfouz as a pioneer of the Arabic novel and Arabic Literature in general. It is not one of Naguib Mahfouz’s greatest novels though. Certainly there is room for improvement. Political in many ways – but can a novel or short story or poem or essay ever leave the Middle East and translated into another language and not be called political? Facing the facts the Middle East is a political zone. Full of religious extremists and fundamentalists. A place full of the wealthy and the downright poverty. Where hairs are split over the interpretation of the religious holy land of the world – not that its much holy as it is a giant sandbox! It is a place full of war lords and tyrants. The east versus west conflict is also something of hot debate there. Any novel that came out of the Middle Eastern area, or the North African area, or any area over there, would be considered political. “The Thief and The Dogs,” is also a considerably political novel, on its study and dissection of idealism. Its abstract study of justice, and its warped nature. But also a interesting look into the psychological destruction of a man, betrayed and hating the putrid world, that longs to hate him just as much back. A frightening portrait of a bitter thief, who is more interested in being a concept or avatar of justice rather than, picking up his life. Placing the pieces of it all back together and moving on. Instead Said Mahran went down in the darkness with guns blazing.

Thank-you For Reading Gentle Reader
Take Care
And As Always
Stay Well Read
*And Remember: Downloading Books Illegally is Thievery and Wrong.*

P.S. Dear Gentle Reader, one (one being me in this case) has a new job. Hopefully this will provide some funds in order to get some more books, in order to read, and review. This job however is at night, and does make it a little bit tricky on the scale of how I am going to balance reading and all that. I know one of the more larger concerns at the moment is “The Short Story Review,” which is posted monthly. But I will find a way in to balance work with some reading.