A Reader of Modern Arabic Short Stories
Edited by Sabry Hafez, Catherine Cobham
About the Book
This reader consists of the full Arabic texts of eleven short stories by established Egyptian, Iraqi, Syrian and Jordanian writers. The earliest story, written in 1929, is by the Egyptian Maḥmūd Ṭāhir Lāshīn; and the most recent, written in 1972, is by the Iraqi writer, Fu’ād Al-Takarlī.
Each story is supplemented by an introduction, with biographical information about the author, placing him in his literary context; a description of the contents; and a brief analysis of the story itself, in English.
Ideal for students of Arabic language and literature, the aim of this collection is to encourage a literary appreciation of modern Arabic texts and an understanding of some of the cultural conflicts reflected in the writings.
Writers included are Ghālib Halasā, Yaḥyā Haqqī, Yūsuf Idrīs, Idwār El Kharrāṭ and Zakariyya Tāmir.
About the Contributors
Catherine Cobham is a lecturer in Arabic and Middle East Studies at the University of St Andrews. She has translated the works of Adonis, Nagīb Maḥfūz, Mahmoud Darwish, Hanan al-Shaykh and Fu’ād Al-Takarlī, amongst others.
Sabry Hafez is Distinguished Professor of Comparative Literature at Qatar University. His publications include A Reader of Modern Arabic Short Stories, The Genesis of Arabic Discourse and The Quest for Identities (selected by Choice magazine as one of the outstanding academic titles of 2009), all by Saqi Books.
Reviews
‘Excellent … the analytical introductions to each story are not only accurate but full of critical insight.’ Roger Allen, Journal of Semitic Studies, Oxford Journals
'The editors have succeeded in assembling a varied selection of stories set in widely differing milieux and treating a considerable number of themes - [this volume] will no doubt prove a stimulus to further serious literary study in modern Arabic.' Die Welt Des Islams (The World of Islam)
