The Mirrors by Naguib Mahfouz

Mirrors by Naguib Mahfouz

A Portrait of Egyptian Society and the Anatomy of the Human Soul

Published in 1972 by Egyptian Nobel laureate Naguib Mahfouz (awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1988), Mirrors stands as one of his most daring and experimental works in terms of narrative form.

The novel presents a sweeping social, political, and intellectual panorama of Egypt over half a century—from the 1919 Revolution through the aftermath of the 1967 defeat—through 55 vivid character sketches, many of which draw inspiration from Mahfouz’s own life.

These portraits unveil the contradictions of Egyptian society and expose the “scoundrels” lurking behind the masks of intellectualism and patriotism.

Narrative Form: A Rebellion Against Traditional Storytelling

Mahfouz crafted a unique literary form that breaks away from conventional novelistic structures:

A Mosaic Composition: Rather than following a linear plot, Mirrors unfolds as a series of discrete yet interconnected character studies. Each vignette stands alone but together forms a cohesive, multifaceted portrait of a nation in flux.
Dramatic Compression: Each sketch—ranging from a single page to ten—delivers:
- An intimate autobiographical glimpse into a character.
- Their ideological and political transformations.
- Interwoven relationships with other figures.
- Often, a tragic or symbolic ending.
The Witness-Narrator: An unnamed narrator—strongly implied to be Mahfouz himself—observes and recounts the lives of these characters with familiarity and insight, giving the work a collective autobiographical feel.

Historical Backdrop: Egypt Between Revolutions and Defeats

The novel captures pivotal moments in modern Egyptian history:

The 1919 Revolution: Its influence on the youth is depicted through a university student who is martyred during protests defending the 1923 Constitution.
Party Politics and Fragmentation: Characters reflect the collapse of political movements like the Wafd and nationalist groups, including a nationalist who dies in despair after the schism between Makram Ebeid and the Wafd Party.
The 1952 Revolution: Traces the shifting ideologies of intellectuals, Free Officers, and leftists as they navigate the revolution’s consequences.
The 1967 Defeat: The psychological blow of this military loss is embodied in characters like Reda Hammada, who “writhes in the flames of defeat like a man possessed.”

Character Anatomy: A Gallery of Human Contradictions

The 55 characters represent recurring archetypes found in all societies:

1. Intellectuals Torn Between Idealism and Opportunism

The Detached Thinker: A once-promising professor who turns into a self-absorbed intellectual, concerned only with his own theories.
The Principled Dissident: A writer who resists authority and dies defiant (e.g., Abdel Wahab Ismail, a stand-in for Sayyid Qutb).
The Careerist: An intellectual who trades his ideals for power and prestige.

2. Women Between Liberation and Exploitation

The Seeker of Love: A woman in her seventies, with a husband and grandchildren, still unable to find true love.
The Unrepentant Adulteress: A wife who carries on an affair with her husband's friend without remorse.
The Sexually Exploited: Sabria El-Hashma, a former brothel owner from Sakakini, consumed by obsession and reduced to a beggar.

3. Men Between Patriotism and Decay

The Gangster: Khalil Zaki evolves from an average youth into a pimp controlling a prostitution network.
The Hypocritical Merchant: Deals in alcohol and usury while praying piously in his warehouse.
The Surprising Rebel: A seemingly aimless officer of the Free Officers who reveals unexpected courage.

4. The Abbasiyya Generation’s Journey

A group of childhood friends from Mahfouz’s own neighborhood of Abbasiyya illustrate the painful clash between past and present:

Sorour Abdel Baqi: Becomes a successful doctor.
Sayed Shaeir: Turns to drug trafficking and sardonically asks post-1967, “Will smuggling hashish stop now that Sinai is occupied?”
Reda Hammada: The ascetic activist broken by the defeat.

Literary Techniques: From Gossip to Human Universals

"Literature of Gossip": Critic Farouk Abdel Qader described the style as “settling scores with old foes,” yet Mahfouz transcends personal vendettas by transforming real-life figures into universal human models.
Symbolism and Abstraction: Characters serve as archetypes:
- Abdel Wahab Ismail = Sayyid Qutb (the Islamist intellectual executed in 1966).
- Ibrahim Aql = The American orientalist.
Layered Language:
- Philosophical in intellectual dialogues.
- Colloquial in working-class conversations.
- Poetic when capturing emotion (e.g., “Her syrupy laugh slithered behind me like a snake”).

Critical Vision: A Society Stripped of Illusions

Exposing Opportunism: The novel critiques the contradictions of Egypt’s elite:
- A so-called “legendary” intellectual who betrayed his values in life.
- A pious fraud who profits from all things immoral.
A Core Moral Question:

“I’ve come to believe people are scoundrels with no morals… So how do we ensure the public good in a society of scoundrels?”
Dissecting Defeat: Mahfouz links the collapse of social ethics to military loss, casting the 1967 defeat as a symptom of deeper societal rot.

Critical and Political Controversy

Accusations of Defaming Islamists: Some viewed the character of Abdel Wahab Ismail as a defamatory portrayal of Sayyid Qutb. Others praised its objective depiction of ideological transformation.
Charges of Gossip-Lit: Some critics accused Mahfouz of disguising a personal memoir under the veneer of fiction. Defenders argue he elevated individual experience into timeless art.
Celebrated for Innovation: Widely regarded as a landmark in Arabic literature for its bold narrative experimentation and fearless engagement with political and social taboos.

Mirrors as an Enduring Human Project

Mirrors is more than a novel—it’s an anthropological meditation on the Egyptian soul in its entanglement with history, power, and selfhood. Through its mosaic structure, the novel asserts:

Mahfouz’s Characters Transcend Time: Figures like the opportunist, the hypocrite, and the idealist remain relevant across eras and cultures.
Art Is Truer Than History: The novel chronicles Egypt’s political shifts by dissecting inner lives rather than external events.
The Mirror Doesn’t Lie: As Mahfouz himself wrote:

“In my clear mirror, I present you with some of the strangest human specimens.”

Mirrors remains an exceptional work—one that challenges the reader with existential questions of morality, identity, and belonging. It stands among the boldest and most insightful mirrors of modern Arabic literature.

The Original summary in Arabic