Winning Nobel imposed on me a lifestyle to which I am not used and which I would not have preferred.

Without literature my life would be miserable.

The Koran and the laws of all civilized nations legislate against the vilification of religions.

We used the Western style to express our own themes and stories. But don't forget that our heritage includes The Thousand and One Nights.

We are like a woman with a difficult pregnancy. We have to rebuild the social classes in Egypt, and we must change the way things were.

I accepted the interviews and encounters that had to be held with the media, but I would have preferred to work in peace.

I was afraid of marriage. I had the impression married life would take up all my time. I saw myself drowning in visits and parties. No freedom.