Modern Arabic Literature.

• Author: Al-Nowaihi, Magda M.
• Position: Review

Edited by M. M. BADAWI. The Cambridge History of Arabic Literature. Cambridge: CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS, 1992. Pp. xi + 571.

This volume, the fourth in the series Cambridge History of Arabic Literature, is meant to provide "the first authoritative, comprehensive critical survey of creative writing in Arabic from the mid-nineteenth century to the present day. . . ." The volume, by and large, succeeds in meeting the goals it sets out for itself. It is a fairly mainstream literary history that covers poetry, including that written in the vernacular; the novel; the short story; drama; and criticism. There is also a chapter on "Arab Women Writers," though fortunately most other chapters take into account the contributions of women in the areas they are covering. Because different chapters have different authors, there is a certain amount of repetitiveness, but very few readers will actually read the book from cover to cover, and since there seems to be an attempt to make each chapter self-sufficient, this repetitiveness may, in fact, be unavoidable. Most of the contributors attempt to provide the political, social, and economic conditions and the reality which they feel necessitated or propelled certain literary trends or movements, while not ignoring the internal dynamics within the literary system itself. Following is a brief summary of the different chapters.

The volume starts with a chronological table of events that covers the period from 1787 to 1991, followed by a map of the Arab world. The introduction is divided into "the background," in which M. M. Badawi outlines the political events that swept the Arab world during the above-mentioned period, and how these contributed to changing attitudes and life-styles. He discusses the importance of secular education and the printing press in creating a new reading public with new needs and tastes. The second part of the introduction, written by P. Cachia, deals with "translations and adaptations 1834-1914," the impetus behind them, the most important translators and translations, how the process of translation gradually changed its own agenda and audience, and how it stimulated creativity and invention.

S. Somekh is the author of a chapter on neo-classical poetry, with a detailed examination of the impulse behind this kind of poetry, which was simultaneously traditional and innovative, "restorative and relative." He analyzes the themes, language, forms, and offers readings of some of the most...