FACE TO FACE
Alleyways of the heart
A. RANGARAJAN
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Alaa Al Aswany, Egyptian novelist, gives his candid views on the literature, history, religion and the politics of West Asia.
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Unexpected success with fiction: Dr. Alaa Al Aswany.
"My literature tries to dwell on the secrets of the heart."
Alaa Al Aswany
Alaa Al Aswany's novel, Imarat Ya'qubiyyan (The Yacoubian Building) has been the highest selling Arabic novel since its publication in 2002. The screen adaptation of The Yacoubian Building became the most expensive Arabic film ever produced and was released in 2006. The English, French and Italian translations have made impressive sales, bringing him some sort of literary stardom. The novel explores the themes of exploitation, corruption, sexuality and religious fundamentalism, weaving it all through the frailty of human lives to present a quaint tapestry. Fast paced and frank, the novel has attracted its share of controversy. Set in Cairo and drawing a lot from the history of modern Egypt, the novel is considered to be reminiscent of the works of Naguib Mahfouz. Just as Mahfouz had used real street names of Cairo for the titles of his famous trilogy, The Yacoubian Building too is a run-down actual building in existence whose fortunes have been changing over the last 70 years — from splendour to neglect.
Born in 1957, Alaa Al Aswany is a practising dentist and has been a keen political commentator, contributing to newspaper columns for the last 15 years. Outspoken and fearless, he is fluent in Spanish, French and English. Fame sits lightly on his shoulders and his natural warmth is unmistakable.
The popularity of your novel has been phenomenal, with the first edition selling out in 40 days, leading to several reprints. What do you think is the reason behind this readership in the Arab world? Was it beyond your expectations?
Yes, it was beyond my imagination, I did not think this kind of success would come my way. On the reasons for the success itself, I do not analyse it much. I try to create a work as I see life in all its depths and shades and it is for my readers to judge the merit of my work. I leave it to them entirely. Perhaps my style of writing has something to do with the popularity. I have a visual format in my stories and I write about topics that are not discussed much and that perhaps holds an appeal to even the ordinary reader as he can easily absorb the unfolding saga. One need not be very intellectual to read my books.
You see yourself primarily as a creative person sharing with your audience an essential experience through which you seek to sensitise your readers to the nuances of reality that we often overlook in everyday life. In other words, do you help the reader to see the extraordinary in the ordinary?
I agree... This is a very mysterious domain. In fiction we create characters based on real life people we see; only they become more significant, deeper and more beautiful. From the whole spectrum of the human experience I try to create a work that reflects the many-layered nature of reality. When people read a novel and mirror their lives through the characters they meet in the book, they realise that a certain situation can have many versions of the truth. They become more understanding and less judging, as we are all largely the result of our situations. And that is the beauty of dwelling on the secrets of the heart while writing.
You have been often criticised for adopting some kind of a soap opera format, wondering if you had the movie already in mind when you started writing the novel. There have been other criticisms too in the press citing shortcomings in your novel like resorting to too much melodrama etc...
People have found even my short stories to be very suggestive visually and therefore it has always been my style of writing and I did not have a movie in mind when I started writing the novel. Imarat Ya'qubiyyan tries to capture a broad historic sweep and social change over time and through the lives of its characters this drama is read. A good deal of contemporary Arab writing is caught up in a lot of experimentalism and symbolism leading to very abstract styles, which don't often reach out to a majority of the readers. Further, we have some problems here in the Arab literary world as the whole intellectual atmosphere is stifled under various dictatorships in the region. This at times leads to a certain unhealthy criticism that fails to separate the person from his work or for that matter even his success! Beyond all this I do see the need for and welcome criticism, as it is very much a part of the literary endeavour.
You hold that your literature and politics are separate. However your political profile is big and significant and your strident anti-government writing must be an irritant to the regime. Does it bring you into trouble with the authorities?
Yes it does. But then I am even ashamed to call it trouble when I see what my fellow writers have faced. Some of them have faced detention and trauma. I am sometimes attacked in the Government-sponsored media and press. Or I am excluded from Government programmes and functions. It is interesting that I was even excluded from the premiere of "Imarat Ya'qubiyyan"! When a subsequent controversy erupted over this in the media, the Government responded by saying that "he does not need an invitation"! The premiere was attended by a number of ministers and ambassadors amidst formidable security and imagine what would happen if I go with my family uninvited and try to explain to the soldier on guard that I wrote the story and that he should let me in. No way was that going to work! Perhaps my popularity gives me a sort of protection.
What does your political writing centre around and does it espouse a cause?
It is about doing away with dictatorships and championing the cause of democracy in Egypt and in the region. From my professional medical life I see a parallel. You should treat the disease and not the complication — treating the complication is dangerous. We have 22 dictators in this region, not just one Saddam! Dictatorship is the disease and everything else, including fundamentalism and terrorism, is a complication. Often it is argued that democracy in the region will see the rise of Islamists to power. I think that is a flawed point of view. Because right now people see the Islamists as something holy and when they are in positions of responsibility it will be become evident that there are good Islamists and bad Islamists and they are not something special.
Looking at the geo-political context of the region and these authoritarian regimes, one wonders if the people of the region feel let down by their rulers. Is this contributing to the rise of fundamentalism? What other factors are playing their part? One of the characters in your novel too becomes a terrorist.
Of course this and other factors are contributing to this phenomenon. Let us take the Egyptian experience, which was quite similar to the Indian experience as they emerged out of colonial domination. Our Saad Zaghlul corresponded with your great Gandhi and our founding fathers believed in secular values and the struggle was both for independence and democracy. Our Delegation (Wafd) and your Congress party shared these ideals. The leadership of the Wafd had devout Muslims and very liberal Muslims and even Coptic Christians in its fold! While you, In India, got democracy after your independence we have been struggling and have now lapsed into long spells of despotic dictatorships. This led to crushing poverty, exploitation, corruption and eventually to terrorism.
Looking at Islam in this context it must be borne in mind that Islam was born in the desert but it found its civilisation away from the desert and thus there exists many interpretations of Islam ranging from an inclusive vision of the religion which is open, tolerant and liberal to less inclusive visions and interpretations. Egypt has always been part of a tolerant stream and that is reflective of our essential national character. But what happened in the late 1970s was a significant turning point in the history of the region. The sudden surge in the price of oil gave unprecedented power to Saudi Arabia. This enabled Saudi Arabia to export its pre-medieval, not-so-inclusive Wahabi vision of Islam to most of the countries in the region. You know the Wahabi vision is a Christmas present to the dictator! It does not encourage dissent against the ruler as long as he is a Muslim. Thus a complex pattern of interlocked factors, including the support these dictators got from outside, led to a steady erosion of liberty and freedom which I believe is at the centre of the woes of this region.
Dr. Aswany, do you think literature has a role to play here?
I do not think so. It cannot help in the short term at least. What is needed for achieving this end is perhaps writing political essays, historic pieces and direct engagement with the political mainstream. Democracy should come from the people within; it cannot be imposed from the outside! But what literature can perhaps do is affect the individual and reach him. This may change the individual in such a manner that he or she starts questioning more and accepting less of everything that is told or prescribed. A society of such individuals becomes more participatory and then perhaps some true choices could be made. That of course is all very long term.
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