The deal

Author's name: Tawfiq Al-Hakim

We were talking about the state of theater in Egypt when Professor Tawfiq al-Hakim told me that he envisions dedicating the National Theater to presenting Egyptian theatrical heritage throughout the year, so that this heritage remains alive and present. Just as museums preserve historical artifacts, the National Theater must preserve theatrical artifacts. Years passed and Tawfiq al-Hakim passed away. The problem became not only that his theatrical heritage was not kept alive on stage, but also that it was not even available as printed texts. A former Arab Minister of Culture complained to me that, during a visit to Cairo, he had searched libraries for a number of al-Hakim's plays to complete his collection, only to be told that they were out of print and had not been reprinted for years. From there, I was happy about Dar al-Shorouk's project to republish the complete works of the father of Arab theater, Tawfiq al-Hakim. Nations do not grow and prosper except to the extent that their heritage is present in their present; otherwise, they will unravel and lose both their past and future, in history and politics, as well as in literature and the arts. - Mohamed Salmawy