Motifs of home and theater in Naguib Mahfouz’s novel “The Celebration of the Sublime”

the article examines two leading motifs in the novel by the Arab writer and Nobel Prize laureate in literature Naguib Mahfouz, “The Celebration of the Sublime.” The work belongs to the mature period of the author’s career (published in Cairo in 1981; translated into Russian by V.N. Zarytovskaya in 2008). The novel “The Celebration of the Sublime” is a parable that combines philosophical depth, social sharpness, and rich imagery. Despite Mahfouz’s recognition as an outstanding writer, this novel remains insufficiently studied, especially in Russian literary scholarship. The article attempts to fill this gap by analyzing the motifs of home and theater in the novel. All characters – those permanently or temporarily living in, or occasionally visiting, the “old” house – are connected to the theater as their second home. The boundary between these worlds is fragile and easily crossed. The attitude toward home and theater helps to understand the essence of the problems raised in the novel. The motifs and symbols of home and theater become tragic symbols of insoluble contradictions, the collapse of family order, trials, and losses that force the protagonist into eternal wandering in search of himself and his “nest.” The insufficient exploration of the symbolic level of the novel and its philosophical potential determines the relevance of this study.

modern Arabic literature, Egyptian novel, Naguib Mahfouz, parable novel, issues, imagery, motifs, symbolism