Category Archives: literature

The Nobel interview that never ran: A talk with novelist Naguib Mahfouz

Posted on October 23, 2009 by

Almost 20 years ago, during my first trip to Cairo, I managed to get an exclusive interview with Naguib Mahfouz, the only writer in the Arab world to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. Mahfouz talked about the early influences … Continue reading →

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Obama should listen to Egypt's Nobel laureate

Posted on June 3, 2009 by

Egypt’s Naguib Mahfouz, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1988, died three years ago, but his books are circulating more widely than ever, and that includes a collection that features his thoughts on America. In “Naguib Mahfouz at … Continue reading →

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Dick Cheney is a literary lightweight

Posted on May 26, 2009 by

The news that Dick Cheney is shopping around a memoir, from which he’s hoping to get a multi-million-dollar contract, boggles the mind. Not the memoir part. That’s expected from a Washington insider who was a heartbeat away from the presidency. … Continue reading →

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Playwright Yasmina Reza: A Life Revealed

Posted on March 22, 2009 by

Life And Letters: Nowhere Woman: Reporting & Essays: The New Yorker.      The New Yorker profiles a woman whose plays are celebrated by critics and the box office. The complications of her life — and her work — are … Continue reading →

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