Arianna Tondi

Experimenting with Ṭabaqāt and Muʿğam: A history of modern Egypt through the biographies of ordinary citizens in Ḥadīṯ al-ṣabāḥ wa-l-masāʾ by Nağīb Maḥfūẓ

Introduction

Experimenting with Ṭabaqāt and muʿğam: a history of modern egypt through the biographies of ordinary citizens in Ḥadīṯ al-ṣabāḥ wa-l-masāʾ by nağīb maḥfūẓ. Explore Nağīb Maḥfūẓ's novel Ḥadīṯ al-ṣabāḥ wa-l-masāʾ, an experiment using Islamic biographical dictionaries (ṭabaqāt, muʿğam) to depict modern Egyptian history through ordinary lives.

Abstract

Inspired by the search for an authentic literature, several Arab writers have experimented with their literary tradition after the cultural turn that followed 1967. Among them, the Egyptian novelist Nağīb Maḥfūẓ (1911-2006), who, determined to find alternatives to the hegemonic model of the Western novel in the post-Naksa period, has interacted with premodern forms of writing. In this paper, we will analyse one of his last fictional experiments, Ḥadīṯ al-ṣabāḥ wa-l-masāʾ (‘Morning and Evening Talk,’ 1987), the novelisation of a subgenre of Islamic historiography, i.e., the biographical dictionary (ṭabaqāt, muʿğam). Drawing upon scholarship on palimpsestuous textuality and dialogism as theories suitable for postcolonial intertextuality, we will put the novel in dialogue with its antecedents to highlight how the chronotope, the non-linear structure, the narrative techniques, the conception of history and death endorsed by the precursors are interrogated by Maḥfūẓ in order to reflect on the outputs of modern Egyptian history on ordinary citizens. As it will emerge, the result is a fictional biographical dictionary that claims for the distinctiveness of the Arab novel and that, at the same time, aspires to participate in modern world culture.

Review

This paper presents a compelling and timely analysis of Nağīb Maḥfūẓ’s *Ḥadīṯ al-ṣabāḥ wa-l-masāʾ*, framing it as a profound literary experiment rooted in a post-1967 search for authentic Arab literary expression. The central thesis — that Maḥfūẓ deliberately engages with premodern Islamic biographical dictionary genres (*ṭabaqāt* and *muʿğam*) to forge an alternative to the Western novelistic tradition — is highly original and promises significant insights into his later work and the broader trajectory of modern Arabic literature. By focusing on the "biographies of ordinary citizens," the study also highlights a crucial dimension of Maḥfūẓ's historical consciousness, using individual lives as a lens through which to examine the complex outputs of modern Egyptian history. The methodological approach outlined in the abstract appears robust and theoretically sophisticated. The proposed application of "palimpsestuous textuality" and "dialogism" within a framework of "postcolonial intertextuality" is particularly apt for dissecting Maḥfūẓ's layered engagement with historical literary forms. The paper promises to meticulously trace how the novel interrogates and transforms elements such as chronotope, non-linear structure, narrative techniques, and conceptions of history and death derived from its antecedents. This detailed formal analysis, coupled with its thematic focus on the impact of history on everyday lives, suggests a nuanced and deeply insightful reading that will enrich both Maḥfūẓ studies and scholarship on intertextuality in postcolonial contexts. Overall, this review anticipates a highly valuable contribution to the field. The paper’s ambition to demonstrate how *Ḥadīṯ al-ṣabāḥ wa-l-masāʾ* functions as a "fictional biographical dictionary" not only illuminates Maḥfūẓ's innovative spirit but also makes a powerful case for the distinctiveness of the Arab novel while simultaneously affirming its participation in modern world culture. Its engagement with complex theoretical frameworks and deep dive into a specific, under-examined aspect of Maḥfūẓ's oeuvre marks it as an important piece of scholarship that promises to stimulate further discussion on literary tradition, innovation, and postcolonial aesthetics.

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