Plain talk
By Mursi Saad El-Din
I have just finished reading an issue of the Massachusetts Review devoted to Egypt. I don't have to underline the importance of this American magazine. Behind this issue is an old friend of Egypt, Raymond Stock, whom I have known for over 15 years now -- as a matter of fact he always addresses me as 'my Egyptian uncle.'
Raymond, who is an Arabist on the staff of the University of Pennsylvania, came to Egypt to write the biography of Naguib Mahfouz. He has now become part of the literary life of Cairo. He has translated some of Mahfouz's novels as well as works by Youssef Irdris and Aly Salem.
The Massachusetts Review special issue on Egypt contains articles, poems and translations of modern Egyptian works. There are sixteen items and it would be difficult, indeed impossible, to present them here. I shall skip the translations, and concentrate on the articles which deal with Egypt's ancient, Islamic and modern history.
In his foreword to the special issue Raymond writes "Everyday and for thousands of years, Egypt has created and creates such eclectic connections among its millions of admirers, from every nationality, colour and creed." The aims of the issue is, in the words of the editor "not only to please those who have already developed a taste for things Egyptian, or have Egypt in their blood; it also seeks to mint new Egyptomanias -- though Egypt herself has managed to do this without much help since the days of Herodotus and long before.
Dr Zahi Hawass, Head of the Egyptian Supreme Council for Antiquities, writes about "The legend of the Pharaohs Lost Tomb". Dr Hawass describes the excavation by an "all Egyptian team" at the Bahariya Oasis and the eventual discovery of Zed-Khonsu-euf-Ankh, the Governor of Bahariya and six tombs of his family. Then follows an article by Nohana Mojsov who is attached to he American Research Center in Egypt. She writes about the "Ancient Egyptian Underworld in the Tomb of Sety" and the pharaoh's voyage through the underworld to heaven, during which the pharaoh goes through twelve gates starting with the gate of no return, and ends with "the Birth of Ra".
Following this comes a fascinating long essay by John Rodenbeck, with the title "Literary Alexandria". In his article he deals with two periods during which Alexandria enjoyed international literary glory. The first began near the end of the fourth century BC and was originally based "upon the largesse of the Ptolemaic". That period lasted for more than eight hundred years. The second period, according to the writer was much briefer dating roughly to the years between 1905 and 1952. This period is associated with the names of Cavafy and Ungaretti. In this article we are given details of the city's Lyceum which was made famous by Aristotle who lectured there for twelve years. We get to know about the famous library and the great thinkers who practiced there.
But it is the modern part that interests me and John gives us a deep analysis of poems by Cavafy and Ungaretti. A great deal has been written about Cavafy's poetry and Alexandria, but less is known about Ungaretti. Rodenbeck introduces us to Ungaretti, who was born in Alexandria in 1888. In one of his poems Ungaretti writes:
"I have seen you, Alexandria/Crumbling on your ghostly foundations/ Become a memory for me/In a half- completed embrace of lights.
Al-Ahram Weekly Online : Located at: http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2008/889/cu3.htm