The crime

Think long, without false perfection, before you write your report, what will you write? I said with annoyance: I will write that all values are wasted but security is stable! Naguib Mahfouz always writes, keeping the concerns of his homeland in mind; his political, economic, and social worries. He wrote about all these concerns in this short story collection, which gathered eight stories, each carrying a different concern, narrated with reflection and patience. In "Room No. 12," he presents in a very sarcastic and mocking style the extent of corruption prevalent in this country. The story "The Crime" is loaded with many symbols; here, the crime is a symbol of the defeat of 1967, and Mahfouz sees that everyone is a partner in the defeat, whether by action or silence. In the story "Hello," he pointed to the lavish wealth that overwhelmed some after July 1952, through the character of the Beg and the shoe shiner. He began these eight stories with the play "The Pursuit," which symbolizes the pursuit of death for humans.