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Sara Saleh presents veteran Egyptian author Naguib Mahfouz's most popularnovels prescribed at university
The Thief and the Dogs
By Naguib Mahfouz
One of Mahfouz's most widely read and studied works, The Thief and the Dogs follows the life of Said Mahran, a young thief who has just been released from jail. Said's sole aim is to seek revenge on those he labels traitors for being involved in his imprisonment.
Said decides to pay a visit to his ex-wife and her new husband, his former friend, both of whom plotted against Said.
This visit ends with dire consequences for Said, but intent on following through with his plan, Said goes to see his mentor, Raouf Ilwan, once an advocate of the Robin Hood brand of socialist policies of stealing from the rich to give to the poor. Raouf's encouragement is what ultimately led to Said's thievery.
Confused and angry, with only revenge as his guide, Said then turns to Nour, a lady of the night, whose name, ironically, is Arabic for light. Nour represents the light for Said; only she can be his salvation from past wrongdoings. But by the time he realises this, is it too late?
The novel is rich with metaphors, descriptive imagery and characters that embody allegorical meanings and motifs. Several events that evolve in the novel predicate the tragic downfall of the hero.
The novel is considered the first to employ the stream
of consciousness style of writing in Arabic, a literary technique associated with literature greats such as Virginia Woolf and James Joyce.
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