CONSCIENCE of the Nation” by Richard Jacquemond, a professor of Arabic in France, is the English version of “Between Scribes and Writers: The Literary Field in Contemporary Egypt” published in French in 2003.
The book itself is an abbreviated and updated version of the author’s doctoral thesis, The Egyptian Literary Field since 1967 which was submitted in 1999. The original title of this book highlights the two main groups of writers which encompass the contemporary Egyptian literary field. The scribe stands for a writer whose writings are closely tied to his official function, on the other hand, the writer, enjoys the freedom to write whatever he imagines, feels or thinks.
In the English edition, the academic title has been forsaken for a more palatable heading which also highlights the unique quality of Egypt’s eminent writers referred to by Jacquemond as “total writers.” Such writers achieve what literary critic Ferial Ghazoul famously described as a “magical dualism in which one finds on the one hand symbolist force and on the other a solid link to Egypt and to Arab and Islamic culture.” Naguib Mahfouz, known as the living conscience of Egypt, is the perfect example of a “total writer” who despite his political commitments never lost his imaginative and critical freedom and remained creative.
“Conscience of the Nation” will delight scholars, academics, literati and anyone interested in the field of modern Egyptian literature and its relationship with the authorities. It is not only remarkably well researched but it also tackles important issues such as censorship, the state of publishing, the distribution of literary prizes, women writers, Nubian literature and the future of poetry. Furthermore, Jacquemond has written a useful postscript about two authors — Alaa Al-Aswany and Ahmed Alaidy — whose respective novels, a bestseller and a cult novel, characterize the current state of the Egyptian literary scene.
Al-Aswany is the celebrated author of the first best-selling Arabic novel “The Yacoubian Building” published not only in Egypt but also in the Arab world. The atmosphere of the book plunges the reader back into the first half of the twentieth century, one of Cairo’s golden times, reminiscent of beautiful people, enjoying the unique art of living, in a cosmopolitan city. Al-Aswany keeps alive the legacy of the country’s social realist fiction. Furthermore, he acts superbly as a writer who serves as an example and a role model to be followed — a ‘conscience of the nation.’ According to Jacquemond, the Yacoubian phenomenon confirms that the Egyptian literary scene will not experience the ‘death of literature’ predicted in western countries.
On the other hand, the young Alaidy has written “Being Abbas El-Abd”, a bewildering work of fiction in total rupture with the Egyptian political, social and literary scene. This typical cult novel did not enjoy global success despite the fact that its original and innovative writing is very much similar to avant-garde writing in the rest of the world. This fact also shows that a writer’s career is still very much “determined by their position in local Egyptian history and society.” However, the book’s mere publication highlights the overflowing creativity which is a characteristic of the current literary and artistic scene in Egypt.
Jacquemond concludes that Egyptian literary production has undergone a remarkable renewal. From the 1960s to 1990s the titles published per year have tripled reaching an annual number of 500. He also underlines the feminization of the field:
“In contrast to the generation of the 1960s, which was almost entirely men, the generation of the 1990s is composed of almost equal numbers of men and women, the latter being among its most promising talents... Women writers are now participating to an ever greater extent in the avant-garde literary movement,” says Jacquemond.
Another interesting development is “the internationalization of the field.” A growing number of writers have had access, earlier in their careers, to the resources of international literary space. There have been more translations than ever before, more invitations, more grants, and more periods spent abroad. Undoubtedly, the AUC Press, has played a major role in disseminating modern Arabic literature across the world.
Nonetheless in Egypt, books unfortunately still occupy a marginal place. Moreover, the press continues to show an increasing lack of interest in literature, a far cry from the 1960s when all Egyptian daily newspapers carried a weekly literary page. This might also reflect the declining influence of Egypt in the Arab world. The author, however, is convinced that as long as the relationship between writers, the state, the nation, and the world remains the same, Egyptian literature will enjoy many happy years ahead.