This collection features reflections from twenty-one of the world's greatest writers on the interplay between art and politics, showcasing both lyrical beauty and ethical depth. Harold Pinter emphasizes the vulnerability of a writer's life, suggesting that honesty is essential for true protection, contrasting it with the deceit often found in politics. For over a century, laureates have gathered in Stockholm on December 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death, to receive the prestigious award. This anthology compiles Nobel Lectures from a quarter-century of these literary figures, revealing their inspirations and beliefs. Contributions include Pinter's urgent discourse on truth in art and politics, J.M. Coetzee's exploration of the creative process, Toni Morrison's insights on the connection between language and oppression, and Nadine Gordimer's reflections on literature's role in shaping individual and collective experiences. The volume intertwines meditations on imagination and writing with discussions of global issues, cultural shifts, and the enduring impact of history. Regardless of genre—poetry, drama, or prose—these laureates collectively affirm literature's profound ability to influence the world.
Naguib Mahfouz Books




Sugar Street
- 320 pages
- 12 hours of reading
Sugar Street is the third and concluding volume of the celebrated Cairo Trilogy, which brings the story of Al-Sayid Ahmad and his family up to the middle of the twentieth century.Aging and ill, the family patriarch surveys the world from his housewares's latticed balcony, as his long-suffering wife once did. While his children face middle age, it is through his grandsons that we see a modern Egypt emerging.
Thief And The Dogs
- 158 pages
- 6 hours of reading
Naguib Mahfouz's haunting novella of post-revolutionary Egypt combines a vivid pychological portrait of an anguished man with the suspense and rapid pace of a detective story.After four years in prison, the skilled young thief Said Mahran emerges bent on revenge. He finds a world that has changed in more ways than one. Egypt has undergone a revolution and, on a more personal level, his beloved wife and his trusted henchman, who conspired to betray him to the police, are now married to each other and are keeping his six-year-old daughter from him. But in the most bitter betrayal, his mentor, Rauf Ilwan, once a firebrand revolutionary who convinced Said that stealing from the rich in a unjust society is an act of justice, is now himself a rich man, a respected newspaper editor who wants nothing to do with the disgraced Said. As Said's wild attempts to achieve his idea of justice badly misfire, he becomes a hunted man so driven by hatred that he can only recognize too late his last chance at redemption.
Anfang und Ende
- 378 pages
- 14 hours of reading
Eines Morgens werden die beiden Söhne aus der Schule gerufen: Der Vater ist tot, mitten aus dem Leben gerissen. Sein plötzlicher Tod bringt die Familie an den Rand des Abgrunds. Etwas Geld im Portemonnaie, ein paar Möbel, einen untadeligen Ruf und eine lächerliche Pension – mehr hat er ihnen nicht hinterlassen. Wie soll die Mutter ihre vier Kinder in Ehren hochbringen? Mit Energie und Entschiedenheit nimmt sie die Zügel in die Hand. Doch jedes geht seinen eigenen Weg. Als der älteste Sohn als Rauschgifthändler verhaftet und die Tochter mit einem Liebhaber in einer Absteige aufgegriffen wird, liegt für die ganze Familie der Schein ehrbaren Lebens in Trümmern.