Cultural Journeys into the Arab World

Description

Cultural Journeys into the Arab World provides a fascinating window into Arab culture and society through the voices of its own writers and poets. Organized thematically, the anthology features more than fifty texts, including poems, essays, stories, novels, memoirs, eyewitness accounts, and life histories, by leading male and female authors from across the Arabic-speaking world. Each theme is explored in several genres, both fiction and nonfiction, and framed by a wealth of contextual information that places the literary texts within the historical, political, cultural, and social background of the region. Spanning a century of Arab creative writing—from the "dean of Arabic letters" Taha Hussein to the Nobel laureate Naguib Mahfouz and the celebrated poet Adonis—the anthology offers unforgettable journeys into the rich and dynamic realm of Arab culture. Representing a wide range of settings, viewpoints, and socioeconomic backgrounds, the characters speak of their conditions, aspirations, struggles, and achievements living in complex societies marked by tensions arising from the persistence of older traditions and the impact of modernity. Their myriad voices paint a vivid and intimate portrait of contemporary Arab life in the Middle East, revealing the common humanity of a region of vital significance in world affairs.
Preface

Introduction: Understanding People in Context

1. Self and Identity

From My Life
Ahmad Amin (Egypt)

The ID Card
Layla al-Uthman (Kuwait)

From Why Keep Asking Me about My Identity?
Nawal El Saadawi (Egypt)

2. Rites of Passage

From An Egyptian Childhood
Taha Hussein (Egypt)

From Khul-Khaal: Five Egyptian Women Tell Their Stories
Nayra Atiya (Egypt)

My Wedding Night
Alifa Rifaat (Egypt)

3. Codes of Masculinity

Choice
Abd al-Aziz al-Maqalih (Yemen)

Sa‘id, the Searcher
Hijab Yahya Musa al-Hazimi (Saudi Arabia)

Those Two Heavy Wings of Manhood: On Moustaches
Hassan Daoud (Lebanon)

4. Honor versus Shame

The Beards
Zakaria Tamer (Syria)

Misfortune in the Alley
Ramziya Abbas al-Iryani (Yemen)

Abu Richard
Mu’nis al-Razzaz (Jordan)

5. Private versus Public

The Freak
Yusuf Idris (Egypt)

From The Sheltered Quarter: A Tale of a Boyhood in Mecca
Hamza Bogary (Saudi Arabia)

Tears for Sale
Samira Azzam (Palestine)

6. Sexual Mores

Let’s Play Doctor
Nura Amin (Egypt)

A Red Spot
Rabia Raihane (Morocco)

Caught Red-Handed
Yusuf Idris (Egypt)

From Who’s Afraid of Meryl Streep?
Rashid al-Daif (Lebanon)

7. Gender Relations

A Mistake in the Knitting
Ihsan Kamal (Egypt)

International Women’s Day
Salwa Bakr (Egypt)

From Breaking Knees
Zakaria Tamer (Syria)

She and the Dogs
Ibrahim al-Koni (Libya)

8. Marriage and Children

From My Life
Ahmad Amin (Egypt)

From The Seven Days of Man
Abdel-Hakim Kassem (Egypt)

The Spider’s Web
Ihsan Kamal (Egypt)

Heir Apparent
Ramziya Abbas al-Iryani (Yemen)

9. Family Dynamics

The Funfair
Hanan al-Shaykh (Lebanon)

The One-Eyed Woman
Hanan al-Shaykh (Lebanon)

The Newcomer
Daisy al-Amir (Iraq)

From The First Well: A Bethlehem Boyhood
Jabra Ibrahim Jabra (Palestine)

From A Refugee Childhood
Rafiq Abdul Rahman (Palestine)

10. Religion—Official versus Popular

From A Child from the Village
Sayyid Qutb (Egypt)

From The Saint’s Lamp
Yahya Haqqi (Egypt)

The Dome with the Crescent: A Trilogy
Mohamed al-Mahdi Bushra (Sudan)

An Old Picture
Naguib Mahfouz (Egypt)

11. Fate and God’s Will versus Freedom of Choice

The Village Tale
Mahmud Tahir Lashin (Egypt)

Bread, Hashish and Moon
Nizar Qabbani (Syria)

Life’s Will
Abu al-Qasim al-Shabbi (Tunisia)

12. Forms of Violence

Washing Off Disgrace
Nazik al-Mala’ika (Iraq)

Blood Feud
Habib Jamati (Lebanon)

The Martyr
Ibrahim Tuqan (Palestine)

Bus #99
Yasir Abdel Baqi (Yemen)

13. The Ruler and the Ruled

The Chair Carrier
Yusuf Idris (Egypt)

On the Tenth Day
Zakaria Tamer (Syria)

From What Value Has the People Whose Tongue Is Tied?
Nizar Qabbani (Syria)

The Moment the Barrier of Fear Broke Down
Adel Abdel Ghafar (Egyp

Sujets

• Middle East

Informations

• Publié par: State University of New York Press
• Date de parution: 11 juillet 2018
• Nombre de lectures: 3
• EAN13: 9781438471167
• Langue: English

Extrait

Cultural Journeys
into the
Arab World
Cultural Journeys
into the
Arab World
A Literary Anthology
Edited and with an introduction by
Dalya Cohen-Mor
Cover art: mosque from iStock by Getty Images.
Published by State University of New York Press, Albany
© 2018 State University of New York
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher.
For information, contact State University of New York Press, Albany, NY
www.sunypress.edu
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Cohen-Mor, Dalya, editor.
Title: Cultural journeys into the Arab world : a literary anthology / edited and with an introduction by Dalya Cohen-Mor.
Description: Albany : State University of New York Press, 2018. | Includes bibliographical references.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017050737 | ISBN 9781438471150 (hardcover : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781438471143 (pbk. : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781438471167 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Arabic literature—20th century—Translations into English.
Classification: LCC PJ7694.E1 C58 2018 | DDC 892.7/08—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017050737
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
In loving memory of my parents,
Habbu Shami and Shawqi Abudi
Contents
PREFACE
INTRODUCTION: UNDERSTANDING PEOPLE IN CONTEXT
1. SELF AND IDENTITY
From My Life
Ahmad Amin (Egypt)
The ID Card
Layla al-Uthman (Kuwait)
From Why Keep Asking Me about My Identity?
Nawal El Saadawi (Egypt)
2. RITES OF PASSAGE
From An Egyptian Childhood
Taha Hussein (Egypt)
From Khul-Khaal: Five Egyptian Women Tell Their Stories
Nayra Atiya (Egypt)
My Wedding Night
Alifa Rifaat (Egypt)
3. CODES OF MASCULINITY
Choice
Abd al-Aziz al-Maqalih (Yemen)
Sa‘id, the Searcher
Hijab Yahya Musa al-Hazimi (Saudi Arabia)
Those Two Heavy Wings of Manhood: On Moustaches
Hassan Daoud (Lebanon)
4. HONOR VERSUS SHAME
The Beards
Zakaria Tamer (Syria)
Misfortune in the Alley
Ramziya Abbas al-Iryani (Yemen)
Abu Richard
Mu’nis al-Razzaz (Jordan)
5. PRIVATE VERSUS PUBLIC
The Freak
Yusuf Idris (Egypt)
From The Sheltered Quarter: A Tale of a Boyhood in Mecca
Hamza Bogary (Saudi Arabia)
Tears for Sale
Samira Azzam (Palestine)
6. SEXUAL MORES
Let’s Play Doctor
Nura Amin (Egypt)
A Red Spot
Rabia Raihane (Morocco)
Caught Red-Handed
Yusuf Idris (Egypt)
From Who’s Afraid of Meryl Streep?
Rashid al-Daif (Lebanon)
7. GENDER RELATIONS
A Mistake in the Knitting
Ihsan Kamal (Egypt)
International Women’s Day
Salwa Bakr (Egypt)
From Breaking Knees
Zakaria Tamer (Syria)
She and the Dogs
Ibrahim al-Koni (Libya)
8. MARRIAGE AND CHILDREN
From My Life
Ahmad Amin (Egypt)
From The Seven Days of Man
Abdel-Hakim Kassem (Egypt)
The Spider’s Web
Ihsan Kamal (Egypt)
Heir Apparent
Ramziya Abbas al-Iryani (Yemen)
9. FAMILY DYNAMICS
The Funfair
Hanan al-Shaykh (Lebanon)
The One-Eyed Woman
Hanan al-Shaykh (Lebanon)
The Newcomer
Daisy al-Amir (Iraq)
From The First Well: A Bethlehem Boyhood
Jabra Ibrahim Jabra (Palestine)
From A Refugee Childhood
Rafiq Abdul Rahman (Palestine)
10. RELIGION—OFFICIAL VERSUS POPULAR
From A Child from the Village
Sayyid Qutb (Egypt)
From The Saint’s Lamp
Yahya Haqqi (Egypt)
The Dome with the Crescent: A Trilogy
Mohamed al-Mahdi Bushra (Sudan)
An Old Picture
Naguib Mahfouz (Egypt)
11. FATE AND GOD’S WILL VERSUS FREEDOM OF CHOICE
The Village Tale
Mahmud Tahir Lashin (Egypt)
Bread, Hashish and Moon
Nizar Qabbani (Syria)
Life’s Will
Abu al-Qasim al-Shabbi (Tunisia)
12. FORMS OF VIOLENCE
Washing Off Disgrace
Nazik al-Mala’ika (Iraq)
Blood Feud
Habib Jamati (Lebanon)
The Martyr
Ibrahim Tuqan (Palestine)
Bus #99
Yasir Abdel Baqi (Yemen)
13. THE RULER AND THE RULED
The Chair Carrier
Yusuf Idris (Egypt)
On the Tenth Day
Zakaria Tamer (Syria)
From What Value Has the People Whose Tongue Is Tied?
Nizar Qabbani (Syria)
The Moment the Barrier of Fear Broke Down
Adel Abdel Ghafar (Egypt)
14. THE ARAB-ISRAELI CONFLICT
Innocence
Yusuf Idris (Egypt)
Identity Card
Mahmoud Darwish (Palestine)
From The Last Chapter
Leila Abouzeid (Morocco)
Legend
Abdallah Salih al-Uthaymin (Saudi Arabia)
15. PERCEPTIONS OF THE WEST
From My Life
Ahmad Amin (Egypt)
Sardines and Oranges
Muhammad Zafzaf (Morocco)
From The Funeral of New York
Adonis (Syria)
From The Crane
Halim Barakat (Syria)
America
Dunya Mikhail (Iraq)
NOTES
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
PERMISSIONS AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Preface
The idea for this anthology came about when I served as research fellow at George Washington University’s department of psychology. As a scholar of Arab culture and society, I expected to see a fair amount of departmental research being devoted to the Arab world. After all, the Arab world has been the focus of the news media and American foreign policy since the spread of radical Islam and the ensuing war on terror. I found out that all the funding for research went to projects on Latino cultures, Asian cultures, and African American cultures, but no research activities were conducted on Arab cultures. Recognizing the great desire of students to understand the values and attitudes of Arabs, how they think and feel, and what motivates their actions and reactions, I embarked on compiling this anthology. While it is primarily intended for students across the humanities and social sciences, those in the general public who seek to gain a better understanding of the Middle East would also benefit from reading the book.
The materials for this book were collected from many sources and on several trips to the Middle East, including a stint in Jordan as a Peace Corps volunteer. The structure of this book, which combines a cultural perspective with illustrations from works of prose and poetry by leading male and female writers from all over the Arabic-speaking world, offers a vivid and intimate portrait of contemporary Arab life. As an interdisciplinary work that simultaneously introduces the reader to the dynamics of Arab society and to the rich realm of modern Arabic literature, it is engaging and readily accessible to students as well as the general public.
Many people helped in the making of this book. First and foremost, I extend special thanks to the Arab authors whose work appears in this book, as well as to their translators and publishers, for permission to reproduce selections from their works of prose and poetry. The translations presented here are the products of many distinguished scholars in the field, to whom I am deeply indebted. I am grateful to the faculty members of the Arabic Language Institute at the American University in Cairo, where I was fortunate to spend a summer as a CASA III Fellow, for their assistance in translating and clarifying the rich texture of several short stories included in this book. I thank Professor Paul Poppen, former chair of the department of psychology at George Washington University, for welcoming me as a research fellow and facilitating my efforts to bring this project to fruition. I thank the anonymous reviewers of my manuscript at State University of New York Press for their insightful comments and suggestions, which helped me improve it. Finally, thanks are due to the staff of George Washington University’s Gelman Library, Georgetown University’s Lauinger Library, and the African and Middle Eastern Room at the Library of Congress, for their tireless efforts in locating the numerous journals, books, and works of reference that I requested.
Note on Transliteration
Arabic names and words that have a generally accepted Anglicized form are spelled accordingly; otherwise, they are transliterated. For smooth reading, no diacritical marks are used. The letter hamza is rendered by an apostrophe and the letter ‘ayn by a single opening quotation mark.
Introduction
Understanding People in Context
The Arab region is currently the scene of tremendous political upheaval, as well as some of the most rapid and dramatic social change in the entire world. It has been the focus of the news media and international diplomacy since the spread of radical Islam and the ensuing war on terror. The birth and subsequent demise of the Arab Spring have generated an outpouring of journalistic and scholarly writing about Arab societies, trying to shed light on how they work—or fail to work—and speculating about their future directions of development. Although advances in information technology have opened windows on the lives of people from other cultures, the Arab world remains a mystery to us. The political and armed conflicts of the Middle East affect the entire world every day, yet our knowledge of Arab culture is too limited, oversimplified, or fille