15 - 21 October 1998
Issue No.399
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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 15 - 21 October 1998 Issue No.399 |
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Current issue | Previous issue | Site map | ||
A decade on
It has been almost exactly 10 years since I won the Nobel. During the year that followed that great honour, I basked in happiness, but the decade since then has been a time for paying back this debt. The Nobel gave great impetus to my work, and to Arabic literature in particular; in material terms, it put my anxieties as to my small family's future to rest. Because I was already well on in years when I received it, however, I have suffered several illnesses since, and have felt weak in general. I had to undergo heart surgery in London in 1990 -- a very difficult experience. Then I had another operation a few years later, which was equally tiresome. My sight and hearing have both declined quite drastically: I can no longer see more than a few centimetres' distance, and I hear very little: those who speak to me know what great efforts they must exert if they are to make themselves heard!
I never thought I would be able to live without the things I have enjoyed all my life: reading, for instance, watching the news on television and perusing the newspapers, or listening to music. These were my life's greatest pleasures. Now, I can no longer savour my favourite works, discover what is being written today by the new generation of writers, or listen to the music I love so much. Nor can I claim to have entered the modern world, since I cannot use a computer. Yet ultimately, I thank God for everything: the long years I have lived have been good, even if, at this point, I have had to pay the price for my age.
Based on an interview by Mohamed Salmawy. |