The+Day+the+Leader+was+Killed

=Teaching //The Day the Leader Was Killed// by Naguib Mahouz=

Book Synopsis (from the book cover and [|wikipedia])
The time is 1981, Anwar al-Sadat is president, and Egypt is lurching into the modern world. Set against this backdrop, //The Day the Leader is Killed// relates the tale of a middle-class Cairene family. Rich with irony and infused with political undertones, the story is narrated alternately by the pious and mischievous family patriarch Muhtashimi Zayed, his hapless grandson Elwan, and Elwan's headstrong and beautiful fiancee Randa.

The novel follows multiple narratives written in the stream of consciousness format. The novel is set during the early 1980s whilst Egyptian President [|Anwar Sadat] was introducing the [|intifah] or //open// free-market economic policies which led to widespread unrest. The plot revolves around a young Egyptian man who is in love with a co-worker, but her father will not permit their marriage due to the fact that the young man cannot earn enough money to purchase and furnish an apartment. Eventually their engagement is called off, and the woman is engaged to their boss. In a fit of rage and despair, the protagonist murders his boss on the same day that Sadat is assassinated by Muslim extremists, and the two narratives are intertwined. Hearing the news of the President's death is the catalyst for the protagonist's decision to kill his employer. The grandfather of the protagonist reflects on the generational gap in Egypt throughout the novel.

//The Day the Leader Was Killed// brings us the essence of Mahfouz's genius and is further proof that he has, in the words of the Nobel citation, "formed an Arabic narrative art that applies to all mankind."

Challenge #1: Following a text with different narrators: breaking the norm!
Most high school novels are told through the eyes of one narrator. In Naguib Mahfouz's //The Day the Leader was Killed,// readers are privileged to witness three different generational perspectives during Egypt's economic and political struggles. Students will thrive with the bouncing of narratives. While it keeps the book fresh and lively, it can also be tricky.

One area that will be enticing for high schoolers is the relationship between Elwan and Randa. Students enjoy texts dealing with relationships. Mahfouz neatly gives the female perspective immediately after male's. Is there any significance to this? Teachers should discuss how this order could be a reflection of the oppressive nature of the community. Are women considered second class citizens? Is there a direct correlation between the author's narrative strategies and the culture?

Before reading the text, teachers should initiate a dialog with their students on how a text may vary depending on the narrator. Point of view is critical with understanding an author's purpose, audience, direction, etc. Have students review different genres of writing (newspaper/magazine articles, essays, short stories, poetry) examining how the piece would be affected if it contained a different narrator or perspective. Once teachers have discussed how the narrator affects the impact of the text, go back to Mahfouz's piece and identify how the difference between generations impacts the story.

Challenge #2: Understanding the significance of the Infitah
The Infitah is mentioned repeatedly throughout the novel without much explanation about what it is or its impact on the Egyptians. Students will be confused if this information is not presented. Teachers should give some historical background on Anwar Sadat's free market economic policy and how this impacted Egypt.

The following sites will help with some background information: __**References:**__ [|The Politics of Economic Strategy]

[|Infitah: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia]

Additional Resources:
[|books by Naguib Mahfouz] a collection of award winning books by the Arab author

[|Major Twentieth and Twenty-First Century Writers on Higher Education (NYU)] Professor Julia Evergreen of New York University offers some interesting details on Naguib Mahfouz's life.