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...
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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.