DEARBORN — The Arab American National Museum in Dearborn is hosting a month-long celebration of the life and works of Naguib Mahfouz, the first Arab writer to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1988, with free books available all month.

Called “The Big Read” and made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts program (NEA), the program will allow for hundreds of copies of Mahfouz’s popular psychological thriller fiction work “The Thief and the Dogs” to be distributed to the general public.

In addition to the free copies, which can be picked up in both English and Arabic at the museum, as well as in English at the Sterling Heights Public Library and the Mardigian Library at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, 15 more events will be held throughout March supporting the book at several locations.

The next event will be held Saturday, March 7 from 1:30-3:30 p.m. at the museum with a movie screening of “Four Women of Egypt,” a film that explores women’s issues in Egypt, which is the setting for Mahfouz’s book.

Tuesday, March 10 will feature a discussion from noon-1 p.m. of “The Thief and the Dogs” and its main themes of revenge, betrayal, and redemption.

Museum managing librarian Arlene Wood talked about the main goal of The Big Read.

“The purpose of the program is to get one book and one community to all read the same book; that way everybody has a single point of reference to discuss with each other.”

The grant was competitive throughout the United States and there were 27 different books available to apply for funding to launch a Big Read program this year. The museum felt that “The Thief and the Dogs” was perfect for its mission of increasing understanding about Arab culture.

“This is the first time an Arab writer has been included as one of their books,” said Wood. “The English translation of the book, which was originally written in Arabic, seemed to fit right in with our mission. The Big Read offers a good combination of events to the people.”

In total, six libraries in the country are doing The Big Read on “The Thief and the Dogs,” including ones in South Dakota and Florida according to Wood.

The kickoff event for the month took place last Sunday and featured a speech by the book’s translator, Dr. Trevor Legassick, from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Lagassick will return on Friday, March 20 from 6-9 p.m. for a screening of “Chased by the Dogs,” a movie inspired by the novel, after which he will lead a discussion about the historical context of the film.

Other events include lessons on how to play backgammon, which is prominent in Egyptian cafes, as well as multiple opportunities for discussions on the 158-page book.

For more information and a calendar of events, go to www.arabamericanmuseum.org or call 313.624.0223.