Make Some Noise!

One of my favorite Moroccan writers (yeah, yeah, Abdellatif, I know, I know) whose work I encountered while living in France has this to say in today's New York Times:

Like the characters in his novels, Mr. Mahfouz found himself at times trapped between tradition and modernity. His 1959 book "Children of the Alley," which was not anti-Islamic but took liberties with the histories of the founders of the three monotheistic religions, was condemned by clerics, and after they complained to President Gamel Abdel Nasser, Mr. Mahfouz promised to not allow its future publication. (To Mr. Mahfouz's dismay, a pirated edition of the book showed up on the sidewalks of Cairo.)

This is a wonderful essay not to be missed.