The Return of Consciousness

Jul 3, 2026

A translated work by Tawfiq al-Hakim presenting an intellectual reappraisal of Gamal ‘Abd al-Nasir’s Egypt and the legacy of the 1952 revolution. The translator’s introduction frames the book as an early, publicly published repudiation of “Nasirism,” associated with the rise of “Sadatism,” and explains why its publication in 1974 provoked intense controversy across Egyptian society. The text emphasizes the need to open the “file” of the 1952 revolution so achievements and failures can be assessed objectively.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages106

Reading Time2 h 43 min

Translator's Introduction

President Jamal ‘Abd al-Nasir and his legacy

‘Awdat al-Wa‘i as a repudiation of “Nasirism”

Why the book provoked intense reaction

The call to open the “file” of 1952 revolution

THE RETURN OFCONSCIOUSNESS Egypt's greatest modern writer's inside account of Nasser's Egypt TAWFIQ AL-HAKIMTRANSLATED BY BAYLY WINDER THE RETURN OF CONSCIOUSNESS The Return of Consciousness by TAWFIQ AL-HAKIM Translated from the Arabic byBAYLY WINDER Director,Hagop Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern StudiesProfessor of History and of Near Eastern Languages and LiteraturesNew York University ◎Tawfiq al-Hakim 1974Translation Bayly Winder 1985Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1985978-0-333-36670-7 First Arabic edition June 1974Second Arabic edition December 1974First English edition 1985 All rights reserved.No reproduction,copy or transmissionof this publication may be made without written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced,copiedor transmitted save with written permission or in accordancewith the provisions of the Copyright Act 1956(as amended). Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation tothis publication may be liable to criminal prosecution andcivil claims for damages. First published 1985THE MACMILLAN PRESS LTDHoundmills,Basingstoke,Hampshire RG212XSand London Companies and representativesthroughout the world Typeset byWessex Typesetters LtdFrome,Somerset British Library Cataloguing in Publication Dataal-Hakim,TawfiqThe return of consciousness 1.Egypt-Politics and government-1919-1952 2.Egypt-Politics and government-1952- I.Title 962'.05 DT107.825ISBN 978-1-349-07178-4ISBN 978-1-349-07176-0(eBook)DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-07176-0 Contents Translator's IntroductionviiPreface to the Second EditionXVForeword by Tawfiq al-Hakimxvii‘Awdat al-Wa‘i or The Return of Consciousnessxix THE RETURN OF CONSCIOUSNESS 1 A WORD IN MEMORY OF‘ABD AL-NASIRSAMPLES OF THE REACTION TO THE RETURNOF CONSCIOUSNESS 58 62 74 Notes Index 84 # Translator's Introduction President Jamal‘Abd al-Nasir,the leader of the Egyptian revolution of1952 and the charismatic champion of militant Arab nationalism,diedsuddenly on 28 September 1970.Idolized,hated and feared in Egyptand throughout the Arab world,his legacy of hothouse nationalismand dictatorial brinkmanship seemed destined to dominate the Arabeast for long years after his death.His regime had indubitably enabledEgyptians to hold their heads up after centuries of foreign domination,and constructive projects such as land reform and the building of theHigh Dam received much acclaim.On the other hand,the police-statemethods,the disastrous wars with Israel and in Yemen,and thedesperate domestic economy all combined to create a stifling atmos-phere in which the upper classes were alienated and the urban masses,not to speak of the fellaheen,became increasingly torporous.Never-theless,few imagined even as late as 1976 that the atmosphere wouldchange so quickly that by 1977 President Anwar al-Sadat woulddeliver a speech to the Knesset in Jerusalem. ‘Awdat al-Wa'i,The Return of Consciousness,the work heretranslated,is the intellectual forerunner of “Sadatism”.It marks thefirst public,published repudiation of “Nasirism”to emerge from theupper-class,liberal,intelligentsian,Westernized sectors of Egyptiansociety.As a published document it broke Egypt's group solidarity,and created a sensation.Its message is simple:We Egyptians weretaken in by the promise of the revolution of 1952,and Jamal ‘Abdal-Nasir,for all his personal charisma,imposed on us a police statewhich pursued failing policies in all directions.We,the intellectuals ofEgypt,are to be rebuked for having accepted it all so passively at thetime,but Egypt has now regained consciousness and can begin tomoveforward again. Additional points are that for Tawfiq al-Hakim the revolution of1919 against the British -the revolution of his generation-whichushered in democratic constitutional principles(no matter how poorlyapplied)and a decent concern for intellectual life,was the trulypopular revolution.Finally,al-Hakim says that the secrets-the "file"

FAQs

What is the main purpose of ‘Awdat al-Wa‘i (The Return of Consciousness) in the translator’s introduction?

It offers an intellectual predecessor to “Sadatism” by publicly repudiating “Nasirism” and arguing that Egypt has regained consciousness and can move forward again. The introduction stresses that Egyptians should reflect on how the revolution’s promises led to a police-state outcome.

How does the introduction describe Nasser’s legacy in Egypt and the Arab world?

It depicts Nasser as idolized, hated, and feared, with achievements such as land reform and the High Dam widely praised. At the same time, it highlights police-state methods, disastrous wars, and a suffocating domestic climate that alienated many groups.

Why did the book cause a strong outcry when first published in 1974?

The introduction gives two reasons: the continuing cult of ‘Abd al-Nasir meant condemning his practices felt like treason, and some believed al-Hakim had benefited from the state during Nasser’s time before attacking him only after his death. The reaction was especially intense from the left.

Jul 3, 2026

Upload by Clementine