Al-ʿAyš al-Badīl or Eradicating Hunger in Some Proposals by Tawfīq al-Ḥakīm. (Un)Real Suggestions throughout Hybrid Literary Paths

This chapter examines the “proposals” put forth by Egyptian writer Tawfiq al-Hakim (1898–1987) in three works: the short story Fī sanat malyūn (In the Year One Million, 1952) and the two plays Riḥla ilà al-ġad (Voyage to Tomorrow, 1958) and al-Ṭa‘ām li-kull fam (Food for Every Mouth, 1963). Through hybrid narrative constructions that defy easy classification—shifting between the surreal, the imaginary, and science fiction—al-Hakim’s creativity generates “proposals for preventing the human being from being hungry,” to borrow from Jonathan Swift’s famous work.The narrative structure devised by the Egyptian writer revolves around al-badīl (alternative) food, an attempt, at least in theory, to develop a new solution to hunger and thereby ensure survival. By pushing his vision to extremes beyond the realm of credibility, al-Hakim aligns with Swift’s perspective, situating himself in a universal artistic tradition. Using different narrative tools across multiple geographic contexts, he highlights the deeply political dimension of food. Food carries transhistorical significance in its relationship with hunger, desire, revulsion, and struggles for survival. Depicting this through exaggerated traits as a form of protest exposes the true inhumanity of the issue: humanity does not have equal access to food. Like Swift, al-Hakim turns his attention to the disadvantaged, where food, in this context, comes to embody a kind of illusion.