An allegory is not meant to be taken literally. There is a great lack of comprehension on the part of some readers.
Naguib MahfouzA priest's life is spent between question and answer-- or between a question and the attempt to answer it. The question is the summary of the spiritual life.
Naguib MahfouzWriting is for men who can think and feel, not mindless sensation seekers out of nightclubs and bars. But these are bad times. We are condemned to work with upstarts, clowns who no doubt got their training in a circus and then turned to journalism as the appropriate place to display their tricks.
Naguib Mahfouz