Modern Arabic Fiction

This volume is a uniquely representative anthology of modern Arabic fictional arts, featuring more than one hundred and forty prominent writers from Oman to Mauritania. Selections range from the pioneering work of late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century authors, such as the historical epics of the Christian Lebanese writer Jurji Zaydan, to the novels of Naguib Mahfouz and the short fiction of numerous contemporary Arab writers. The collection includes familiar names, such as Yusuf Idris, with his brilliant portrayal of Egypt's poor; the Palestinian writer Jabra Ibrahim Jabra, and his sophisticated depiction of modern Arab intellectuals; and the prolific Syrian writer Zakariyya Tamer, whose short fiction covers the spectrum of contemporary Arab life. It also showcases writers just now finding an audience in the West: 'Abd al-Rahman Muneef and his searing exploration of the ecological and social impact of oil production; Jamal al-Ghitani, whose fiction plays impressively with mythical time and the continuity of the past in the present; and Salwa Bakr, who depicts human frailty brilliantly and often ironically. In her introduction, Salma Khadra Jayyusi details the development of modern Arabic fictional genres and the central thematic and aesthetic concerns of Arab writers. Her anthology is a remarkable portrait of Arab writers' formal inventiveness and their intense exploration of modern Arab life.

An anthology of modern Arabic fictional arts, featuring more than one hundred and forty writers from Oman to Mauritania. It features selections ranging from the work of late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century authors, such as the historical epics of the Christian Lebanese writer Jurji Zaydan, to the novels of Naguib Mahfouz.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.