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Modern Arabic Fiction: An Anthology
Beginning with the late-nineteenth-century cultural resurgence and continuing through the present day, short stories and novels have given voice to the personal and historical experiences of modern Arabs. This anthology offers a rich and diverse selection of works from more than one hundred and forty prominent Arab writers of fiction. The collection reflects Arab writers' formal inventiveness as well as their intense exploration of various dimensions of modern Arab life, including the impact of modernity, the rise of the oil economy, political authoritarianism, corruption, religion, poverty, and the Palestinian experience in modern times.
Salma Khadra Jayyusi, a renowned scholar of Arabic literature, has included short stories and excerpts from novels from authors in every Arab country. Modern Arabic Fiction contains writings stretching from the pioneering work of late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century authors to the novels of Naguib Mahfouz and the stories of contemporary Arab writers. In addition to familiar names such as Mahfouz, the anthology presents excerpts from writers well known in the Arab world but just beginning to find an audience in the West, including early twentieth century Christian Lebanese writer Jurji Zaydan, whose historical epics were eye-openers for generations of Arab readers to the achievements of medieval Islamic civilization; Yusuf Idris's complex and brilliant portrait of Egypt's poor; 'Abd al-Rahman Muneef's searing exploration of the ecological and social impact of oil production; Palestinian writer Jabra Ibrahim Jabra's sophisticated description of the dilemma's of modern Arab intellectuals; and Jamal al-Ghitani's impressive employment of mythical time and the continuity of the past in the present.
Jayyusi provides biographical information on the writers as well as a substantial and illuminating introduction to the development of modern Arabic fictional genres that considers the central thematic and aesthetic concerns of Arab short story writers and novelists.
Salma Khadra Jayyusi, a renowned scholar of Arabic literature, has included short stories and excerpts from novels from authors in every Arab country. Modern Arabic Fiction contains writings stretching from the pioneering work of late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century authors to the novels of Naguib Mahfouz and the stories of contemporary Arab writers. In addition to familiar names such as Mahfouz, the anthology presents excerpts from writers well known in the Arab world but just beginning to find an audience in the West, including early twentieth century Christian Lebanese writer Jurji Zaydan, whose historical epics were eye-openers for generations of Arab readers to the achievements of medieval Islamic civilization; Yusuf Idris's complex and brilliant portrait of Egypt's poor; 'Abd al-Rahman Muneef's searing exploration of the ecological and social impact of oil production; Palestinian writer Jabra Ibrahim Jabra's sophisticated description of the dilemma's of modern Arab intellectuals; and Jamal al-Ghitani's impressive employment of mythical time and the continuity of the past in the present.
Jayyusi provides biographical information on the writers as well as a substantial and illuminating introduction to the development of modern Arabic fictional genres that considers the central thematic and aesthetic concerns of Arab short story writers and novelists.
1064 pages, Hardcover
First published January 22, 2005
About the author
Salma Khadra Jayyusi
27 books19 followersSalma Khadra Jayyusi (born 1926 or 1927) is a Jordanian-Palestinian poet, writer, translator and anthologist. She is the founder and director of the Project of Translation from Arabic (PROTA), which aims to provide translation of Arabic literature into English.
In 1960, she published her first poetry collection, Return from the Dreamy Fountain. In 1970, she received her PhD on Arabic literature from the University of London. She taught at the University of Khartoum from 1970 to 1973 and at the universities of Algiers and Constantine from 1973 to 1975. In 1973, she was invited by The Middle East Studies Association of North America (MESA) invited her for a lecture tour of Canada and the US, on a Ford Foundation Fellowship, in 1973. In 1975, the University of Utah invited her to return as a visiting professor of Arabic literature, and since then she has been based at various universities in the United States.
In 1960, she published her first poetry collection, Return from the Dreamy Fountain. In 1970, she received her PhD on Arabic literature from the University of London. She taught at the University of Khartoum from 1970 to 1973 and at the universities of Algiers and Constantine from 1973 to 1975. In 1973, she was invited by The Middle East Studies Association of North America (MESA) invited her for a lecture tour of Canada and the US, on a Ford Foundation Fellowship, in 1973. In 1975, the University of Utah invited her to return as a visiting professor of Arabic literature, and since then she has been based at various universities in the United States.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 29, 2010
An admirable and didactic anthology on the journey of Arabic literature from ancient scriptures to soaring mount of novels and modern fiction. The exuberance of literary richness and excellence of the Arabic fiction is rendered amid a humongous assortment of more than 100 short stories; liberating Arabic prose from being pigeonholed to ‘Arabian Nights’ and fables.
December 21, 2013
modernity as a philosophical problem: the problem of the individual. Man I really see shared concerns with Chinese lit in 1920 and onwards
May 11, 2021
I read about a third of this anthology's 1000+ pages. The first eighty pages is a useful and well-written survey of Arabic literature spanning from the Jahiliyyah to the late twentieth century.
The rest of the book consists of the selections themselves: short stories and excerpts from novels. My main complaint is about the translations, many of which contain typos and clunky turns of phrase that seem characteristic of first drafts rather than publishable material. I feel as though the anthology went for quantity over quality in this regard.
In terms of the stories, as is to be expected from such a long anthology, some appealed to me a lot and others not at all. My advice is not to try to read this cover-to-cover, if only because some of the translations are of remarkably low quality (my assessment as a reader, amateur translator, and student of Arabic). Instead, perhaps pick something from my list below, in which I assign each story that I read a rating out of five.
5/5 (most fav)
Gamal al-Ghitani, "An Enlightenment to the People of This World" (p. 317)
Jabra Ibrahim Jabra, "Search for Walid Mas‘ud" (p. 942)
Haydar Haydar, "The Dance of the Savage Prairies" (p. 358)
Muhammad al-Khudayyir, "Clocks Like Horses" (p. 467)
Baha' Taher, "The Engagement" (p. 711)
4/5
Radwa Ashour, "Granada" (p. 803)
Yusuf Idris, "The Bet" (p. 391)
Al-Taher Wattar, "The Martyrs are Returning This Week" (p. 768)
Naguib Mahfouz, "The Rendezvous" (p. 493)
Sahar Tawfiq, "In Search of a Wilderness" (p. 732)
Hanna Mina, "Fragments of Memory" (p. 976)
3/5
Ibrahim al-Koni, "The Pact" (p. 477)
Alifa Rif‘at, "An Incident in the Ghobashi Household" (p. 601)
Hanan al-Shaykh, "The Women's Swimming Pool" (p. 676)
Alya Mamdouh, "Crossing Over" (p. 512)
Ghada Samman, "Nightmares of Beirut" (p. 1032)
2/5
Nawal al-Sa‘dawi, "The Demise of His Excellency the Minister" (p. 625)
Tayyib Saleh, "The Cypriot Man" (p. 642)
Latifa al-Zayyat, "The Narrow Path" (p. 791)
Emil Habiby, "The Secret Life of Sa‘eed, the Ill-Fated Pessoptimist" (p. 901)
1/5 (least fav)
Ben Salim Himmish, "Power Crazy" (p. 908)
Edwar al-Kharrat, "Rama and the Dragon" (p. 956)
Ilyas Khouri, "City Gates" (p. 963)
Muntasir al-Qaffash, "The Sound of Footsteps" (p. 559)
‘Abd al-Rahman Munif, "Trees and the Murder of Marzouq" (p. 988)
Ibrahim Nasrallah, "Prairies of Fever" (p. 997)
The rest of the book consists of the selections themselves: short stories and excerpts from novels. My main complaint is about the translations, many of which contain typos and clunky turns of phrase that seem characteristic of first drafts rather than publishable material. I feel as though the anthology went for quantity over quality in this regard.
In terms of the stories, as is to be expected from such a long anthology, some appealed to me a lot and others not at all. My advice is not to try to read this cover-to-cover, if only because some of the translations are of remarkably low quality (my assessment as a reader, amateur translator, and student of Arabic). Instead, perhaps pick something from my list below, in which I assign each story that I read a rating out of five.
5/5 (most fav)
Gamal al-Ghitani, "An Enlightenment to the People of This World" (p. 317)
Jabra Ibrahim Jabra, "Search for Walid Mas‘ud" (p. 942)
Haydar Haydar, "The Dance of the Savage Prairies" (p. 358)
Muhammad al-Khudayyir, "Clocks Like Horses" (p. 467)
Baha' Taher, "The Engagement" (p. 711)
4/5
Radwa Ashour, "Granada" (p. 803)
Yusuf Idris, "The Bet" (p. 391)
Al-Taher Wattar, "The Martyrs are Returning This Week" (p. 768)
Naguib Mahfouz, "The Rendezvous" (p. 493)
Sahar Tawfiq, "In Search of a Wilderness" (p. 732)
Hanna Mina, "Fragments of Memory" (p. 976)
3/5
Ibrahim al-Koni, "The Pact" (p. 477)
Alifa Rif‘at, "An Incident in the Ghobashi Household" (p. 601)
Hanan al-Shaykh, "The Women's Swimming Pool" (p. 676)
Alya Mamdouh, "Crossing Over" (p. 512)
Ghada Samman, "Nightmares of Beirut" (p. 1032)
2/5
Nawal al-Sa‘dawi, "The Demise of His Excellency the Minister" (p. 625)
Tayyib Saleh, "The Cypriot Man" (p. 642)
Latifa al-Zayyat, "The Narrow Path" (p. 791)
Emil Habiby, "The Secret Life of Sa‘eed, the Ill-Fated Pessoptimist" (p. 901)
1/5 (least fav)
Ben Salim Himmish, "Power Crazy" (p. 908)
Edwar al-Kharrat, "Rama and the Dragon" (p. 956)
Ilyas Khouri, "City Gates" (p. 963)
Muntasir al-Qaffash, "The Sound of Footsteps" (p. 559)
‘Abd al-Rahman Munif, "Trees and the Murder of Marzouq" (p. 988)
Ibrahim Nasrallah, "Prairies of Fever" (p. 997)
November 28, 2022
Best book 🍁
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews