#595 The Ditch- Naguib Mahfouz

#595 The Ditch- Naguib Mahfouz

An old man and the building he lives in are falling apart and not long for this world. He laments the too rapid passing of time and remembers the life that once existed inside these walls:

“In my childhood days, the house was of mature age and in fair shape, and the alley, paved with stones and with two sidewalks…”

Now:

“The shadow of times long past, the expectation of the house collapsing, and the diffusion of filth all pervading my feelings and gave me a sensation of disease—and of fear as well.”

He knows he cannot avoid the inevitable, but wishes for something, a memory, more time, acknowledgement, something. He visits his family's burial plot and takes stock of the past and of the future.

Rating: 8-7-7-7 Total= 29