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Al-Ahram Weekly 18 - 24 February 1999 Issue No. 417 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 18 - 24 February 1999 Issue No. 417
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Features Special Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Conversations remembered
By Naguib Mahfouz
I have been grieving over the death of Lutfi El-Kholi. Every new day seems to bring news that a dear friend has passed away: after Bint Al-Shati', it was Ali El-Ra'i's turn; now Lutfi El-Kholi and Fathi Ghanem have disappeared in the same week. Of the old generation, it seems, only I am left.
I met Lutfi El-Kholi through the late, great director Salah Abu Seif. It must have been in 1947, and we went to visit Lutfi in his office. He knew me through the novels I had published, and told me he had read a few of them. We became friends ten years later, at Al-Ahram. We used to talk about different things, especially politics: the peace process, Palestinian rights... He always had a strong argument and an unwavering vision: however much you disagreed with him, you had to take his opinions into account.
We once had a long conversation, which was recorded, about my stance on peace and, after criticising me at length and in learned detail, he made a complete about-face and actually went much further than I had on the matter. Those who attacked Lutfi El-Kholi often did so because he changed his mind, although this was his absolute right. Unfortunately, although he always used reasoned, logical arguments when debating with an opponent, those who attacked him did not do the same, even when they adopted the point of view to which he had originally adhered. They could only resort to slander and insults; Lutfi never sank to those depths, for he was always convinced of what he said and did.
Based on an interview by Mohamed Salmawy.
