"Winning Nobel imposed on me a lifestyle to which I am not used and which I would not have preferred"

Naguib Mahfouz's quote talks to the unexpected changes that come with winning the Nobel Prize. He suggests that the way of life he was thrust into was not one he was accustomed to, which he would have preferred to stay in his previous lifestyle. This recommends that the Nobel Prize brought with it a particular level of popularity and notoriety that Mahfouz was not gotten ready for. He might have been overwhelmed by the attention and expectations that came with the award, and found it difficult to get used to the new way of life. The quote likewise indicates that Mahfouz was not seeking fame or acknowledgment, which the Nobel Prize was an unexpected honor. He might have felt a sense of responsibility to live up to the expectations of the award, and to utilize his newly found fame to make a favorable influence on the world.