The Cairo Trilogy: Palace Walk, Palace of Desire, Sugar Street

by Naguib Mahfouz

Ahmad started to rise, but Mr. Adli gestured for him to remain seated and said, “The magazine's more or less on vacation today. I hope you'll stay and talk a little.”

  Ahmad murmured with profound gratitude, “I'd be delighted, sir.

  “You said you got the baccalaureate this year. How old are you?”

  “Sixteen.”

  “Precocious. Excellent. Is the magazine widely read in the secondary schools?”

  “No, unfortunately not.”

  “I realize that. Most of our readers are at the University. In Egypt, reading's considered a cheap entertainment. We won't develop until we accept that reading is a vital necessity”. After a pause he asked, “What's the attitude of secondary-school students?”

  Ahmad looked at him inquisitively, as if wanting clarification of the question, and the man said, “I'm asking about their political affiliation, since that's more obvious than other things.”

  “The overwhelming majority are Wafdists.”

  “But is there any talk of the new movements?”

  “Young Egypt - Misr al-Fatat? It's insignificant. You could count its supporters on your fingers. The other parties have no foliowers except for relatives of the leaders. Then there is a minority that's not interested in any of the parties. Some, and I'm among them, prefer the Wafd to the others but hope for a more perfect one.”

  With satisfaction the man said, “This is what I wanted to know. The Wafd is the people's party and represents an important and natural step in our development. The National Party is Turkish, religious, and reactionary. The Wafd Party has crystallized and purified Egyptian nationalism. It has also been a school for nationalism and democracy. But the point is that the nation is not and must not be content with this school. We want a further stage of development. We desire a school for socialism. Independence is not the ultimate goal. It's a way to obtain the people's constitutional, economic, and human rights.”

  Ahmad cried out enthusiastically, “What a fine statement!”

  “But the Wafd must be the starting point. Young Egypt is a criminal, reactionary, Fascist movement. It's just as dangerous as the reactionary religious groups. It's nothing more than an echo of German and Italian militarism, worshipping power, demanding dictatorial control, and disparaging human values and human dignity. Like cholera and typhoid, reactionary movements are endemic to this region and need to be eradicated.”

  Ahmad said zealously, “We in the New Man group believe this firmly.”

  The editor nodded his large head sorrowfully and said, “That's why the magazine is a target for reactionaries of every stripe. They accuse me of corrupting the young.”

  “Just as they once denounced Socrates.”

  With a gratified smile, Mr. Adli Karim said, “What's your goal? I mean, which college of the University are you heading for?”

  “Arts.”

  The editor sat up straight and remarked, “Literature is one of the greatest tools of liberation, but it can also be employed for reactionary ends. So watch your step. From the mosque university of al-Azhar and from the Dar al-Ulum teachers college have come a sickening type of literature that has left generations of Egyptians with rigid minds and broken spirits. But no matter what, science is the foundation of modern life. … Don't be surprised that a man who is considered a literary figure should tell you this frankly. We must study the sciences and absorb the scientific mentality. A person who doesn't know science is not a citizen of the twentieth century, even if he is a genius. Artists too must learn their share of science. It's no longer just for scientists. Yes, the responsibility for comprehensive and profound knowledge of the field as well as for research and discoveries in it belongs to the scientists, but every cultured person must illuminate himself with its light, embrace its principles and procedures, and use its style. Science must take the place that prophecy and religion had in the ancient world.”

  Ahmad endorsed his master's statement: “That's why the message of The New Man is the development of a society based on science.”

  Adli Karim replied with interest, “Yes. Each of us must do his part, even if he finds himself alone in the arena.”

  Ahmad nodded hishead, and the other man continued: “Study literature as much as you want, but pay more attention to your own intellectual development than to the selections you're asked to memorize. And don't forget modern science. In addition to Shakespeare and Schopenhauer, your library must contain Comte, Darwin, Freud, Marx, and Engels. Be as zealous about this as if you were religious, and remember that each age has its prophets. The prophets of this era are the scientists.”

  The editor's smile indicated that the conversation was coming to an end. Ahmad rose and stretched out his hand. He said goodbye and left the room, feeling joyously alive. Outside, in the hall, remembering his subscription and the article, he looked for the other room, knocked on the door to announce himself, and entered. He saw that there were three desks in the room. Two were empty, and a girl was sitting at the third. He had not been expecting this and stopped in his tracks. He looked at her inquisitively and apprehensively. She was around twenty, with a dark brown complexion, black eyes, and black hair. There was a resolute look about her delicate nose, pointed chin, and thin lips, but that did not detract from her beauty.

  Scrutinizing him, she asked, “Yes?”

  To justify his presence he said, “My subscription”. He paid the amount and took the receipt. Then, overcoming his nervousness, he said, “I sent an article to the magazine, and Mr. Adli Karim told me it would be here.”

  She invited him to have a seat in front of her desk and asked, “The title of the article, please?”

  Still uncomfortable about dealing with this girl, he replied, “Education According to Le Bon.”

  She opened a file and flipped through some papers until she pulled out the essay. When Ahmad glimpsed his handwriting, hisheart pounded. From where he sat he tried to read the red notation upon it, but she saved him the trouble, remarking, “The note says, ‘To be summarized and published in the section for readers’ letters.'”

  Ahmad was disappointed. He looked at her for a few moments without saying anything. Then he asked, “In which issue?”

  “The next one.”

  After some hesitation he asked, “Who will summarize it?”

  “I will.”

  He felt annoyed but asked, “Will it bear my name?”

  She laughed and answered, “Naturally. There is usually a statement to the effect that we have received a letter from the writer…” She looked at the signature on the article and continued: “Ahmad Ibrahim Shawkat. Then we provide a full summary of your ideas.”

  He hesitated a little before saying, “I would have preferred for you to publish it in its entirety.”

  Smiling, she replied, “Next time, God willing.”

  He looked at her silently and asked, “Are you an employee here?”

  “As you can see!”

  He was tempted to ask what her qualifications for the position were, but his courage failed him at the last moment. So he inquired, “What is your name, please, so I can ask for you by telephone, if I need to.”

  “Sawsan Hammad.”

  “Thank you very much.”

  He stood up and bade her farewell with a wave of his hand. Before departing, he turned back to say, “Please summarize it carefully.”

  Without looking up she replied, “I know my job.”

  Regietting his words, he left the room.

  129

  A M A L WAS in his study wearing a loose-fitting house shirt when Umm Hanafi came to tell him, “Mr. Fuad al-Hamzawi is with my master”. He rose and hurried downstairs.

  So Fuad had returned to Cairo after a year's absence. The distinguished public prosecutor from Qena district was home again. The friendship and affection that filled Kamal'sheart were marred by an uncomfortable feeling. His relationship with Fuad was still marked by a struggle between loving affection and jealous aversion. No matter how hard he tried to elevate
himself intellectually, his instincts always forced him back down to the petty mundane level. As He descended the stairshe sensed that this visit would awaken happy memories but also rub the scabs off wounds that had almost healed. When he passed through the sitting room, where the coffee hour consisting of his mother, Aisha, and Na'ima - was in session, he heard his mother whisper, “He'll ask for Na'ima's hand.”

  Sensing his presence, she turned to tell him, “Your friend's inside. He's so charming…. He wanted to kiss my hand, but I wouldn't let him.”

  Kamal found his father sitting cross-legged on the sofa and Fuad in a chair opposite. The old friends shook hands, and Kamal said, “Praise God for your safe return. Welcome, welcome! Are you on vacation?”

  Smiling, al-Sayyid Ahmad answered, “No, he's been transferred to Cairo. He's finally been moved back here after a lengthy absence in Upper Egypt.”

  Sitting down on the sofa, Kamal said, “Congratulations! Now we hope to see you more often.”

  Fuad answered, “Naturally. As of the first of next month we'll be living in al-Abbasiya. We've leased an apartment near the Wayliya police station.”

  Fuad's appearance had not changed much, but he looked healthier. He had filled out, his complexion was rosier, and his eyes still had the familiar sparkle of intelligence.

  Al-Sayyid Ahmad asked the young man, “How is your father? I haven't seen him for a week.”

  “Hishealth isn't as good as we'd wish. He's still sad about leaving the shop. But hopefully the person he found to take his place is doing a good job.”

  Al-Sayyid Ahmad laughed and said, “The shop now requires my constant attention. Your father, may God grant him a complete recovery and good health, took care of everything.”

  Fuacl sat up and placed one leg over the other. This gesture attracted Kamal's attention and distressed him, for he considered it disrespectful to his father, even though al-Sayyid Ahmad gave no sign of having noticed. Was this how things were developing? Yes, Fuad was a prominent member of the judicial service, but had he forgotten who it was who sat facing him? Lord, as if that was not enough, he took out a cigarette case and offered it to al-Sayyid Ahmad, who graciously declined. Fuad's judicial career had really made him forget himself, but it was sad that his forgetfulness should extend to the person who had financed his career. Fuad's grateful memories seemed to have vanished in thin air as quickly as the smoke from his fancy cigarette. His gestures appeared quite natural and unaffected, for he was an executive who had grown accustomed to taking charge.

  Al-Sayyid Ahmad told Kamal, “Congratulate him on his promotion too.”

  SmiLng, Kamal said, “Congratulations! That's great. I hope I'll soon be able to offer you my best wishes for being named a judge.”

  Fuad answered, “That's the next step, God willing.”

  Once a judge he might allow himself to piss in front of the man who sat before him now. The grade-school teacher would remain just that. Kamal would have to content himself with his busliy mustache and the tons of culture weighing down hishead.

  Looking at Fuad with great interest, al-Sayyid Ahmad inquired, “How is the political situation?”

  Fuad answered with satisfaction, “The miracle has happened! A treaty has been signed in London. I could not believe my ears when I heard the radio announce Egypt's independence and the termination of the four restrictions Britain had placed on our independence in the last treaty. Who would have anticipated this?”

  “Then you're happy with the treaty?”

  Nodding hishead as though personally responsible for the decision, Fuad replied, “On the whole, yes. Some oppose it for legitimate reasons and others do so in bad faith. When we consider the circumstances in which we find ourselves and remember that despite the bitterness of the Sidqy era our people endured it without rebelling against him, we must consider the treaty a positive step. It abolishes the ‘reserved points’ Hmiting Egyptian independence, prepares the way for an end to the capitulations granting special privileges to foreigners, limits the future presence of foreign troops, and restricts them to a certain region. Without any doubt, it's a great step forward.”

  Al-Sayyid Ahmad was more enthusiastic and less knowledgeable about the treaty than Fuad. He would have liked the young man to agree more decisively with him, and when that did not happen, he insisted, “In any case, we must remember that the Wafd have restored the constitution to the nation and brought us independence, even if this has taken some time.”

  Kamal reflected that Fuad had always been lukewarm about politics. Perhapshe still was. But he did seem to favor the Wafd.

  “For a long time I was politically engaged in a most emotional way,” Kamal reflected. “But now I don't believe in anything. Not even politics is exempt from my insatiable doubt. Yet no matter what my intellect does, my heart pounds with nationalist fervor.”

  Fuad laughingly remarked, “In periods of unrest, the judicial system quails, and the police take precedence. Thus times of unrest are also times of police power. If the Wafd returns to rule, the judicial system will regain its rightful place and activities of the police will be limited. The natural state of affairs is for the law to have the final say.”

  Al-Sayyid Ahmad commented, “Can we forget the Sidqy era? Soldiers used truncheons to assemble citizens on election days. Many of our distinguished friends were ruined and went bankrupt as a result of their loyalty to the Wafd. And then we see this ‘devil’ become a member of the negotiating team, posing as a nationalist liberal.”

  Fuad replied, “Circumstances required a united front, one that would have been incomplete had it not included this ‘devil’ and his supporters. It's the end result that counts.”

  Fuad lingered there for some time, sipping coffee, while Kamal examined his friend, noticing the elegant white silk suit, which had a red rose decorating its lapel, and the forceful personality that he had acquired to match his position. Deep inside, Kamal felt that, in spite of everything, he would be happy to have this young man ask for Na'ima's hand, but Fuad did not touch on this subject. He seeined ready to depart and soon told al-Sayyid Ahmad, “It must be time for you to leave for the store. I'll stay and chat with Kamal, but I'll visit you before going to Alexandria. I've decided to spend the rest of August and part of September at the beach”. Then he rose, said goodbye to his host with a handshake, and left the room, preceded by Kamal.

  They climbed the stairs to the top floor and settled themselves in the study. Fuad smiled as he looked around at the books on the shelves. He asked, “May I borrow a book from you?”

  Hiding his lack of enthusiasm, Kamal answered, “I'd be delighted. What do you normally read during your free time?”

  “I have the poetry collections of Shawqi, Hafiz Ibrahim, and Mutran as well as some books by al-Jahiz and al-JVla'arri. I'm especially fond of al-Mawardi's Culture for This World and the Next, not to mention works of contemporary authors. This, along with a few books by Dickens and Conan Doyle … but my commitment to the law consumes most of my time.”

  Fuad rose to walk around and inspect the books, reading their titles. Completing his circle, he snorted, “A purely philosophical library! There's nothing to interest me here. I read al-Fikr magazine and have followed your essays in it over the years. But I don't claim to have read all of them or to remember anything from them. A philosophical discussion isheavy reading, and a public prosecutor is burdened with work. Why don't you write on popular topics?”

  Kamal had heard his works belittled so often that he had almost grown accustomed to it and felt little distress about it. For him, doubt devoured everything, including any sorrow over such criticism. What was fame? What was popularity? Kamal was actually pleased to hear that Fuad found the articles useless for diversion in his spare time.

  Kamal asked, “What do you mean by 'popular topics'?”

  “Literature, for example.”

  “I've read many charming works since we were together, but I'm not a novelist or a poet.”

  Fuad lau
ghed and said, “Then stay in philosophy, all by yourself. Aren't you a philosopher?”

  “Aren't you a philosopher?” This expression had been etched into his mind ever since A'ida's lips had tossed it at him on Palaces Street. He shuddered from the terrifying impact it still made on hisheart but concealed his emotional turmoil by laughing loudly. He remembered the days when Fuad had been devoted to him, following him around like a shadow. Now Kamal was looking at an important man, who deserved his affection and loyalty.

  “What have you done with your life?” he asked himself.

  Fuad was examining his friend's mustache. Suddenly he laughed and said, “If only…” When Kamal's eyes inquired what this meant, Fuad continued: “We're both almost thirty, and neither of us has married. Our generation is rife with bachelors. It's a crisis generation. Are you still resolutely opposed to marriage?”

  “I haven't budged.”

  “I don't know why, but I believe that you will never marry.”

  “You've always been very perceptive.”

  Smiling warmly as though to apologize in advance for what he was going to say, Fuad commented, “You're an egotistical man. You insist on maintaining total control over your life. Brother, the Prophet married, and that did not prevent him from having a sublime spiritual life”. Then, laughing, he emended his statement: “Excuse me for using the Prophet as an example. I almost forgot that you … But not so fast. You're no longer the same old atheist. Now you even doubt atheism. This represents a gain for belief.”

  Kamal replied calmly, “Let's skip the philosophizing. You don't enjoy it. Tell me why you haven't married yet, since this is what you think of the single life.”

  He immediately sensed that he should not have brought up this topic, for fear his friend would consider it a hint to ask for Na'ima's hand. But Fuad gave no sign of having understood his words in this manner. Instead, he laughed aloud although without abandoning his dignified demeanor and answered, “You know, I've only recently started to enjoy the seamy side of life.

  Unlike you, I wasn't corrupted early in life. I haven't had enough fun yet.”