Hello Gentle Reader
Nothing in this world is safe from the passage of time. It can be something extraordinary beautiful though as well. The tree one plants when they are just a young child. Through the ages, it grows bigger and bigger. It becomes something, of a majestic beauty. I remember, when I was younger, helping my parents plant a lilac bush. Of course it meant nothing to me, back then. But as both I and the lilac bush had grown, there was a sense of attachment to both the lilac bush. However years upon years later, the lilac bush died. Such is the passage of time. It is a cruel part of nature, which begrudgingly does its duty; or sadistically carries out its duty, without question or complaints at all, and perhaps finds its enjoyment in its duty to nature. Though perhaps this is all personification. Personification is nothing, more than just giving personality and human characteristics otherwise inanimate objects or parts of nature. It’s more or less a poet’s trait of the trade. Yet it is a good way to personify an enemy or a foe, with metaphorical traits, in order to find something wrong with it, and allow for a sense of anger to be released at.
Ageing is part of life. It is something no one has control over. Everything ages. Animals, plants (though we do not necessarily see it), humans the world itself. It all ages. No one can stop the prospect of ageing itself. Though human beings have found ways to cosmetically cover up the signs or at least the results of ageing with the cunning use of Botox and other surgical procedures. Yet ageing is something that causes great fear in people. Not just the superficial fear of narcissism and vanity but rather the fear, of something far greater then ageing itself.
As one ages, they become a mere ghost of what they once were. How many times have I looked through the old photo albums, and thought to myself, how horrible life and ageing has treated me. At times the grey around the temples, that begin to slowly spread through my hair like silver dignified crown of wisdom and dignity that comes with age – yet once it slowly began to take its place throughout my hair, and goatee that came with old age, it no longer gave one that sense of dignity or superiority or even made one look all that much more wiser. It became a malaise and malady of time itself. Realization through looking through the old photographs, one can see that surely I have become nothing more than just an old ghost of myself. Being younger and looking through the photographs of my grandparents, I used to wonder who the handsome people where in the photographs and the pretty ladies. Now realization was that they were my grandparents. What kind of curse had befallen them was all my younger self could ask. Yet now as I too have aged, there is no curse. No curse at all. It is just part of life.
Yet ageing and the realization that we all die – who knows when the first thought of death itself comes to existence in the mind of people in their earlier days, is recounted in a philosophical aspect by the film director Darren Aronofsky when discussing his film “The Fountain,” he remarked on both the fear of death and how it makes one human and the biblical aspect of the Tree of Life and Tree of Knowledge and how they pertain to the human experience of both life and death and the fear of death itself and how it pertains to life. Without the fear of death or death itself or the knowledge of death human beings would not be human beings at all, but rather on par with God. In many aspects the realization of death makes us human. It is scary in many ways. The unknown of what is after – if anything; is really rather horrifying.
“It was sad to watch a family age. It was hard to see his father, who had been so forceful and mighty, grow weak. His mother was wasting away and disappearing into old age. He was having to witness Aisha's disintegration and downfall. The atmosphere of the house was charged with misery and death.”
Is what the soul searching Kamal proclaims in this book. Throughout the trilogy the reader, watches a family from the year nineteen ninteen (1919) and the start of the Egyptian Revolution against its colonial parents of England, to the year ninteen-forty four (1944) with the ending of “Sugar Street,” and the start of World War II. Throughout this three volume (trilogy) of a simple ordinary Egyptian family, who are struck by the very conflicts of life itself, and are wrapped up in the political engagements of their time.
When we first met this family they were obviously a little odd to me, because of my western concept of family. Yet, throughout it all, one comes to find some emotional bonds with this fictional Egyptian family. Aisha the dreamy beautiful one. One comes to find, themselves sharing in those dreams of hers. There was Khadija whose critical and sarcastic personality mad her appear gruffer, and a bit thick skinned and much harder to deal with then her beautiful sister Aisha; yet throughout it all, as a reader one finds themselves, finding her own emotional soft underbelly. There was Fahmy the tragic idealist who wanted the best of his family, and of life itself. His tragic love for his neighbour’s daughter; and he himself picked up the cause of the Egyptian revolution. Yasin, hedonistic and making larger mistakes then he himself almost can handle at times; shows one how to have a good time with life, and find the enjoyment of company of friends and liquor. Kamal the soul searching, and very confused youngest one of all family, is the one who finds himself, in the most peculiar situations, unsure where he stands with himself, and life itself, and Egyptian society as a whole. His philosophical musings cause him great pains, and stunt his enjoyment of life itself and ostracizes him at times from his family who cannot begin to comprehend his pain and inability to try and grasp their earthly pleasures and simplicities of married life, and companionship of family. Amina a dutiful house wife, who loves her family and her husband – the master of the household himself, as much as she loves and fears God the almighty himself. Her gentle compassion and delicate nature of a song bird make her sympathetic and empathetic character, which one comes to recognize and enjoy with – to the point where one almost feels like she welcomes them in to the coffee hour, to sit and enjoy the conversation. Al-Sayyid Ahmad Abd al-Jawad the patriarch and tyrant of this household, after times can cause great fear in the heart and soul of a person like an earthquakes trembling can cause great horrors into the daily routine of life itself. He is both a giant of authority and a friend that one comes to find is not as scary and horrifying as he lets others believe he is. Even in the ending book, one can certainly find a sense of companion with such a great man himself, who inspired fear in his family and yet, towards the end has inspired compassion and companionship in them as well.
Yet now with “Sugar Street,” Naguib Mahfouz has opened his family chronicle of Egyptian society and Cairo, to a newer generation. However Aisha experienced a grief that only her mother could understand and yet the shock and anger of the death of her children Uthma and Muhammed in the previous novel, and her husband subsequent passing as well. All of that has left Aisha a former shadow of herself. Her grief taking more of a place on her face and body that her once beautiful, body had once been something behold and inspired awe and shock in others. The only ones that stay the same, are Yasin and Khadija, perhaps Khadija has even changed a bit. Her tongue now lashing and whipping, with criticism. Her two sons al-Muni'm and Ahmad take the brunt of her beatings. Yasin’s son Ridwan is the most peculiar of all the characters or the grandchildren of the book. He is his favourite of his grandfather and the son of Yasin, but his taste for earthly pleasures is more abstinent to non-existent at all. Na'ima’s (the last child of Aisha’s) role in this novel is a brief, before she too meets her untimely demise.
Throughout this novel, the transition of the first novel to its end through this three volume trilogy has been a rather uncomfortable ride. The hope, the beauty and the sense of peace, and just an ordinary family wrapped up in extraordinary events, has taken its final ride. From the beginning we find a family leaving in their languor of peace and normalcy. However everything changes when the Egyptian revolution begins. Without a hint of knowledge of the on coming events, the family is forced to take up their arms, with their fellow countrymen. Yet in this time, they are also overcome with a strike to their household, and the beginning of the end follows.
The second novel, opens up with the family dynamics changing considerably. Both Aisha and Khadija live away from home. The once famous coffee hour is now in shambles. Yasin also over an intense argument with Amina. Kamal finds himself finding both love and heartbreak through his admiration, for a friend’s sister. This leads to heart break and the friendship falls through. Then once again grief is to befall through the family. All this however, goes through Egypt’s continuing political issues. In the end, throughout his novels Naguib Mahfouz writes of a strange and alien country that does its best to fight against the governing power, and yet cannot help but quarrel amongst itself. Muslim Brethren and Communists, walk among the streets. Everyone demands independence, but none are sure what it is.
The Arab Spring, that had happened these past years or so, has been something that follows in the vein of what Naguib Mahfouz has written about in these three novels. Egypt was the start, and even now the violence and the protest continues. Videos are shown all over, the news, and internet, of the problems that are coming from the Middle East, and North Africa. Just the other day while briefly skimming over the news I saw, a video of a Egyptian woman being beaten and dragged in the streets. Her short torn revealing her entire upper torso but her breasts covered with a bra. The outrage that many callers had expressed on the news summed up my own anger. Yet I still changed the channel. However, as I had remarked in my journal while reading this, and the current events that continue to unfold in Egypt and other countries, made me remarks, that through the past (almost) century has all but continued. Egypt has received its independence from the English Empire, but it still is at war with itself and its own government.
With this novel – the shortest of the entire trilogy; Naguib Mahfouz does not abruptly end the novel or the family. He rounds it off, as they will continue to live and move through their lives, as they always have. One has become an Islamic Fundamental, another has become a communist. Kamal still soul searches. Yasin continues his earthly pleasures. In the end Naguib Mahfouz ends the trilogy, and allows for the dice to fall as they may – as the saying goes.
It is not the best of the novels – the first one “Palace Walk,” was – but it still is nice to find out the end fate of all the characters. The less detail in this novel, allows it to move at a much quicker pace, but the rich characters that Naguib Mahfouz had created. Perhaps if “The Cairo Trilogy,” had been expanded a bit or even if “Sugar Street,” had been expanded then perhaps, the characters and their individual dramas and adventures would eventually become more apparent rather than the brief skim over their lives. In the end though it feels good though to get the entire trilogy done. Yet I wonder, what Naguib Mahfouz would think of the current Egyptian and Middle Eastern and North African’s call for democracy equality and freedom. What would he make of it I wonder? Unfortunately though I’ll most likely never know. However, I am sure his heart would fill with pride, and his mind would hope that the country moved to the intended goal that had been its motivation for so long.
Thank-you For Reading Gentle Reader
Take Care
And As Always
Stay Well Read
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