Anwar Wajdi, the late well-known actor of Syrian origin, used to go to the theater wearing traditional dress — jalabiya — and its accompanying clogs. Whenever the stage manager reminded him that the noise created by the clogs disturbed the actors, he would take them off and walk around barefoot. The only dream of the then obscure actor who regularly arrived at the theater with an empty stomach was to be able to eat a pound of kebab every day. At that time meat was only three cents a pound but Anwar was so poor he could scarcely buy a “foul” and “taamiya” sandwich. With the passage of time, he went from unknown to being a sought-after star in the Egyptian movie industry. The handsome actor was very energetic and could work non-stop. At the end of the day, after coming home, he sat down to count what he had he earned that day. He insisted on working hard in order to accumulate a fortune of 100,000 pounds.
When he had succeeded saving 8,000 pounds, he decided to gamble it by investing in producing his first film. He approached Layla Murad, a very famous actress, who at that time was being paid 12,000 pounds per film. That was the highest price paid for any Egyptian actor. Anwar was thus forced to look for partners to help him finance the film. He found two partners and when he asked Layla to join him in the production, she immediately accepted. The director, Kamal Saleem, fell sick and was unable to continue. Layla suggested to Anwar that he himself take over directing the film. During the shooting, the handsome actor impressed the star and they fell in love. The film, “Layla, the Daughter of the Poor,” was a huge success and when Anwar asked Layla to marry him, she accepted.
The wedding was the talk of the town. Layla later discovered that Anwar put all the money he made from the film in a special account in his name but this didn’t bother her. What did disturb her, however, was when she learned that during a trip to Paris with Anwar, he had fallen in love with a young French girl. After they returned to Cairo, the girl followed Anwar and he rented a flat for her in a posh Zamalek neighborhood. In a daring raid reminiscent of crime adventures, Layla caught the two lovers and asked for a divorce. By that time Anwar had fulfilled his dream of becoming rich and agreed to divorce her. Soon after that, he fell sick and never recovered until he died. While he was almost literally on his deathbed, his doctors warned him against eating meat or any food except soup and vegetables. Until the last day of his life, however, he begged to be allowed a “foul” and “taamiya” sandwich.
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THE Egyptian author Naguib Mahfouz won the Nobel Prize for Literature first because he is a talented writer and second because his novels and writings had been translated into many languages. Without his writings having been so widely translated, Mahfouz may not have become a Nobel laureate. We ought to translate more Arabic literature in general and Saudi writings in particular; we should not be content with a single Nobel Prize. The prize should not be considered as an end in itself but as a means of introducing ourselves to the outside world. Our contributions to human civilization should be recognized and acknowledged, exactly as Dr. Amira Kashgari, associate professor of linguistics and translation at the Girls College of Education in Jeddah, has said.
According to her, we should focus on bringing Saudi writing to wider notice. The size of Arab literary production in general and that of us Saudis in particular does not reflect a significant presence and influence in the outside world. Translation would help achieve cultural and social objectives at the same time. The most important is the effort to build bridges to and from other cultures and the encouragement of contacts among civilizations.
In a study Dr. Kashgari conducted on translating Saudi writing as a means of facilitating contacts among civilizations, she said such a project would necessarily minimize language barrier. The problem of competent and sensitive translation stands as the major obstacle to communication and interaction between our literary movement and those in other societies.
The study was made following the publication of “New Voices,” a translation of 26 short stories by Saudi women writers. The book was revised by Dr. Abu Bakr Bagadir, professor of sociology at King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah, in cooperation with an American woman anthropologist and writer of Hungarian origin.
In her interesting research, Dr. Kashgari described the book as the first work of its kind to deal with translated writings by Saudi women. It was indeed a pioneering experience. Cultural revival by nations has throughout history been associated with a flourishing translation activity. We hope that this latest translation effort will be a good start for Saudi writers and their work. No doubt, the work of translators represents an excellent and pioneering effort. Of no less importance is the outstanding follow-up effort by Dr. Kashgari who succeeded in shedding light on this highly appreciated work.
