Pas n’importe quel absurde. L’assurdo in alcuni racconti di Naǧīb Maḥfūẓ

This paper focuses on the concept of “absurd” as it is represented in two short story collections: Taḥta al-miẓallah (Under the Bus-Shelter) and Ḫammārat al-qiṭṭ al-aswad (The Black Cat Tavern). Although they resemble European literature of the absurd as far as form and content are concerned, these two works by Nağīb Maḥfūẓ seem to be more a denunciation of social disease rather than a mere exposition of an existentialist and nihilistic vision. Moreover, by focusing on the role of individuals living in an irrational world, these stories seem to stress on the im-portance of human responsibility in a secular worldview.