Homage to Bakathir

By Naguib Mahfouz

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I was pleased to learn that the Friends of Ali Ahmed Bakathir has for the second year running arranged a festival of Bakathir's plays. Coming in the aftermath of the recent tragedy in Beni Soueif, this piece of information was a consolation of sorts. I first knew Bakathir when we were young and struggling writers. We won Ministry of Education awards at the same time, something that made it possible for us to begin publishing our writings. We used to meet every week at a café near the Opera House in downtown Cairo, a rendezvous that continued even after we both had begun to taste the fruits of success.

Bakathir was a cultured man, fluent in English which he taught for a living. At one point we both worked together for the Department of Arts. He specialised in historical plays while I wrote novels. Bakathir wrote plays for four decades and I enjoyed attending a great many performances. He was also an accomplished poet, attracting the admiration of such towering literary figures as El-Aqqad and El-Mazni.

Based on an interview by Mohamed Salmawy .