The Cairo gathering

By Naguib Mahfouz

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I'm delighted that Egypt's annual Conference for the Novel was held for the third time last week. In 2003 the Supreme Council for Culture held the first such conference, calling it the Cairo Gathering for Arab Creativity in Novel Writing. At the time I hoped it would become an annual event.

The novel is a literary form in which the Arabs have made an indisputably significant contribution. The great American critic Roger Allen believes that the Arab novel has developed over the course of the 20th century to compete on the level of world literature. However, the spread of the Internet and modern computer technology in recent years, along with the rising cost of books, has had a detrimental effect on people's interest in reading. Literature desperately needs all the support and encouragement it can get in these difficult times from events like the conference which generates studies on the art of novel-writing and increases interest in the media and the public arena.

The conference now offers a prize honouring an established author for his life's work. I'm a great believer in the importance of literary awards. When I first started writing the only prizes were one awarded by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, and a private award named after Mrs Qut Al-Qaloub Al-Damardashi. Winning the latter encouraged me to carry on writing. There are now all sorts of state prizes on offer, though the number of authors has also grown exponentially. Any new prize gives more of them a chance to win recognition.

Based on an interview by Mohamed Salmawy.