Echoes of an Autobiography - my thoughts

When I first started reading Echoes of an Autobiography by Naguib Mahfouz I hated it. Well actually I still am not a huge fan. However, I did come to realize that like the other biographies that we read for this class the biography itself has something to show us about the writer and it gives us an insight into the fictional work that we read by him. At first I failed to see any connections and was just annoyed by the fact that the book does not flow like it should, but instead randomly jumps around. Then I realized that the style of writing and the overall oddity of the work reminded me of something else we read this semester; Arabian Nights and Days also by Naguib Mahfouz. I was finally able to come to the conclusion that although I did not like this work there was nothing wrong with it. It was not bad it was just different from what I was use to. I had to expand my horizons of what I consider good literature to be to have an open mind about it. There is a uniqueness and beauty to Mahfouz’s writing which one can easily miss if you focus to much on how odd it is or on what you think it should be. I think it is important to realize that writers do not write what their audience wants them to write; or rather they should not do so. Instead they write what they want their reader to get out of their writing. Writing is a personal expression and if I do not like it I do not have to read it, but that does not in any way diminish the fact that the work itself is very well done. Overall although I disliked the work I can see why Dr. Zoller decided to include it in the course and I believe it was beneficial in its own way.