The heights of language

By Naguib Mahfouz

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I once read a novel by Anatole France in the original language and the style was so simple that I thought I have finally become fluent in French. When I moved on to Madame Bovary of Gustave Flaubert, things were different. I spent more time consulting the dictionary than reading the novel.

By the time I moved to Marcel Proust and Balzac, I had decided it was best to use the translated works. I read Proust in English and Balzac, Racine and Croneille in Arabic. Molière was a mixed bag. I read some of his works in French and some in Arabic.

I got through more of Anatole France works in French: L'Etui de nacre, Taise, Les Dieux ont soif. I also read philosophy in French. We had a French professor at the Faculty of Arts. He came from the Sorbonne and taught us philosophy in French, from French textbooks. This was to enable me to read philosophy and non-fiction works later on in French. But for French literary work, I had to stick to translations.

Based on an interview by Mohamed Salmawy.