I Found Myself... The Last Dreams invites readers into the "private world" of Egypt's most revered literary figure, the Nobel Prize-winning author Naguib Mahfouz. Mahfouz published a first volume of his dreams while convalescing from a near-fatal stabbing in 1994. This second volume, published posthumously in Arabic, has been translated by the renowned American-born British Libyan writer Hisham Matar.
Mahfouz accompanies these intriguing vignettes with evocative images of old Cairo, Mahfouz's "city-protagonist," created by artist Diana Matar. Her photographs capture the interplay of light, shadow, and motion as they retrace the meandering walks Mahfouz indulged in before the assassination attempt--walks that fueled his imagination. After 1994, he became reclusive but still roamed in his dreams through his beloved city, visiting favorite cafés and figures from his past.
In a collage of fragmented scenes depicting missed connections, thwarted love, and family drama, Mahfouz contends with his "aging self," imagines himself a soccer star, and returns to his childhood homes. The enigmatic, ever present B, his long-ago sweetheart, brings solace yet also "desperate regrets." Mahfouz's dreams are "oddly prophetic in how they depict national unrest and unfulfilled democratic yearnings," observes translator Matar, noting that they represent a premonition of Egypt's "post-Tahrir Square" future.
The topic nearest to Mahfouz's heart was "freedom. Freedom from colonization, freedom from the absolute rule of a king, and basic human freedom in the context of society and the family." As people across the globe continue to experience the ravages of war, the prize Mahfouz valued most is still unattainable for many. --Shahina Piyarali