The Unmaking of the Arab Intellectual: Prophecy, Exile and the Nation

by Zeina G. Halabi

In this book Zeina G. Halabi examines the figure of the intellectual as prophet, national icon, and exile in contemporary Arabic literature and film. Staging a comparative dialogue with writers and critics such as Elias Khoury, Edward Said, Jurji Zaidan, and Mahmoud Darwish, Halabi focuses on new articulations of loss, displacement, and memory in works by Rabee Jaber, Elia Suleiman, Rawi Hage, Rashid al-Daif, and Seba al-Herz. She argues that the ambivalence and disillusionment with the role of the intellectual in contemporary representations operate as a productive reclaiming of the ‘political’ in an allegedly apolitical context. The Unmaking of the Arab Intellectual offers the critical tools to understand the evolving relations between the intellectual and power, and the author and the text in the hitherto uncharted contemporary era.

216 pages, Paperback

Published June 4, 2018

Reviews

[Aya Nassar]

Brilliant! I loved the intro and the first 2 chapters and overall it is very captivating and beautifully written

[أحمد ناجي · Rating 4 out of 5]

Revolutionary concept that changes and challenge how we see the history of Arab culture and intellectual. It's written in smart captive style. Once you started you can't stop until you finish