Fra storia e allegoria: Ipazia in un romanzo egiziano contemporaneo

The article discusses the novel ʿAzāzīl by the Egyptian writer Yūsuf Zaydān. Published in 2009, ʿAzāzīl is both a historical novel set in an- cient Egypt and an allegorical representation of Modernity along the lines of Nağīb Maḥfūẓ’s fictional works. In ʿAzāzīl, however, Zaydān does not evoke the glory of the Pharaohs, but rather the social and reli- gious turbulence of the fifth century, which marked a turning point in Egyptian history. The struggle between Christians and Pagans de- scribed in the novel alludes to the present-day clash between lay scien- tific thought and religious fanaticism. The heated debate raised by this novel in Egypt and the scorching criticism directed at Zaydān by the Coptic Egyptian Church demonstrate that the struggle is not over yet.