His fingers come close to the end of the string. I put the satchel to the side. I open the composition notebook. I write the word “Reading” in the middle of the line. I think, then I skip a line and write in big letters: “Reading and the Comprehension of the Reading.” It fills up the line. I skip another one and go to the line after that. I stop because I can’t think of what else to write.
I wait until he finishes the string. Unsure, I go close to him carrying the draft notebook and fountain pen. He always writes my compositions for me and then I put them in my own handwriting. I look up at his smooth-shaven cheek. He takes the notebook from me.
He says: “Hand me a pencil.”
Author’s acknowledgment
My thanks to the poet Hamza Qanawy for the help he offered in working with and reviewing the original Arabic manuscript at various stages.
Translator’s acknowledgments and note
Sonallah Ibrahim was an engaged and insightful participant in this English version of his novel, and I thank him for his help. Thanks also to Mohamed Aboul-Ela, Richard Bartlett, Ayman El-Desouky, Sayyid Fathi, Jennifer Grotz, Ahmad Hassan, and Richard Jacquemond, each of whom helped me at various stages and in diverse ways. In translating quotations from the Quran, I have referred to Michael Sells, Approaching the Qur’án: The Early Revelations, Ashland, Oregon, 2001, and Al-Qur’án: A Contemporary Translation, by Ahmed Ali, Princeton, 1993.