Anthology of Arabic Literature, Culture, and Thought from Pre-Islamic Times to the Present

by Bassam K. Frangieh

• ISBN13: 9780300104936
• ISBN10: 0300104936
• Format: Paperback w/CD
• Copyright: 2004-09-10
• Publisher: Yale University Press

Summary

This book--the first comprehensive reader of Arabic literature from pre-Islamic times to the present--is an essential work for advanced students of the Arabic language. Presenting seventy works by seventy authors, it includes pre-Islamic poetry and prose; selections from the Qur'an; the Prophet Muhammad's last sermon; writings from the "Golden Age of the Arabs" in philosophy, mysticism, prose, and poetry; works from the neoclassical, modernist, and metaphorical schools; literature of the Arabs in Andalus, Spain; and discussions of cultural, literary, critical, and political movements of the present day. Each selection is followed by a vocabulary list, a list of idioms and notes, and a set of questions about the text. The book not only introduces students to the entire sweep of Arabic intellectual, political, and cultural thought but also gives examples of how this thought is expressed, offering important insights into the Arab mind.

Author Biography

Bassam K. Frangieh is senior lecturer in the department of Near East languages and civilizations at Yale University.

Table of Contents

Illustrations	xi
Preface	xiii
Introduction	xv
The Modern Era
Modern Poetry	1	(36)
Nizar Qabbani: Arabian Love Poems	2	(8)
Mahmoud Darwish: To My Mother and Other Poems	10	(6)
Muhammad al-Maghut: Sadness in the Moonlight	16	(7)
Badr Shakir al-Sayyab: Song of Rain	23	(9)
`Abdul Wahab al-Bayati: The Gypsy Symphony	32	(5)
Modern Novel	37	(42)
Ghassan Kanafani: Men in the Sun	38	(6)
Hani al-Raheb: The Epidemics	44	(6)
Hanna Mina: Sun on a Cloudy Day	50	(6)
Ibrahim Nasrallah: The Guard of the Lost City	56	(8)
Mu'nis al-Razzaz: Alive in the Dead Sea	64	(6)
Najib Mahfuz: Children of Our Quarter	70	(9)
Drama	79	(10)
Sa`dallah Wannus: An Evening Party for June the 5th	80	(9)
Arab American Literature	89	(19)
Jubran Khalil Jubran: The Grave Digger	90	(6)
Mikha'il Nu`aymah: Moments of Death	96	(7)
Amin al-Rihani: On Brooklyn Bridge	103	(5)
Literary Criticism	108	(32)
Ihsan `Abbas: Directions of Modern Arabic Poetry	109	(6)
Mahmud Amin al-`Alim: The Arabic Novel	115	(8)
`Izz al-Din Isma`il: Contemporary Arab Poetry	123	(5)
Idwar al-Kharrat: Three Faces of Ghalib Halasah	128	(7)
Taha Husayn: On Pre-Islamic Literature	135	(5)
Voices of Women	140	(22)
Salma Khadra Jayyusi: Human Rights in Arab Thought	141	(6)
Nawal al-Sa`dawi: A Woman at Point Zero	147	(7)
Ghada Samman: Who Hit `A'isha?	154	(8)
Autobiographies	162	(14)
`Abdelrahman Munif: Formless World	163	(5)
Najib Mahfuz: From Local Award to Nobel Prize	168	(8)
Letters	176	(20)
Ghassan Kanafani to Ghada Samman	177	(5)
Mahmoud Darwish to Samih al-Qasim	182	(8)
Samih al-Qasim to Mahmoud Darwish	190	(6)
Critical Thought on Arab Culture	196	(22)
Sadiq Jalal al-`Azm: Critique of Religious Thought	197	(5)
Hisham Sharabi: Cultural Critique of Arab Society	202	(7)
Adonis: The Shock of Modernity	209	(9)
Political Movements in Modern Times	218	(36)
Reformist: Muhammad Rashid Rida: Our Need for Renewal	219	(7)
Progressive: `Abd al-Rahman al-Kawakibi: The Nature of Despotism	226	(5)
Fundamentalist: Sayyid Qutb: Americanized Islam	231	(7)
Nationalist: Jamal `Abd al-Nasir: Nationalization of the Suez Canal	238	(7)
Revolutionary: Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah: Resistance, Victory, and Liberation	245	(9)
Pre-Modern Era
Philosophy of History and Social Evolution	254	(8)
Ibn Khaldun: Al-Muqaddimah	255	(7)
The Return to the Origins of Faith	262	(7)
Ibn Taymiyyah: The Satanic Routes	263	(6)
The Belles-Lettres of Andalusia	269	(14)
Lisan al-Din al-Khatib: May the Rain Be Bountiful to You	270	(5)
Ibn Hazm of Cordoba: Dove's Necklace	275	(8)
The Folkloric Tradition	283	(19)
The Arabian Nights: Alf Laylah wa Laylah	284	(9)
Tribal and National Heroes: Biography of `Antarah Ibn Shaddad	293	(9)
The Golden Age of Islamic Civilization
Islamic Mysticism (Sufism)	302	(20)
Ibn 'Arabi: Gems of Wisdom	303	(7)
Al-Ghazali: Mystic Paths	310	(5)
Al-Hallaj: Al-Tawasin	315	(7)
Islamic Philosophy	322	(17)
Ibn Rushd (Averroes): Incoherence of the Incoherence	323	(9)
Ibn Sina (Avicenna): The Human Soul	332	(7)
The Assemblies: Al-Maqamat	339	(12)
Abu Muhammad al-Qasim al-Hariri: Maqama of Sana'a	340	(5)
Badi al-Zaman al-Hamadhani: Maqama on Composing Poetry	345	(6)
Concept of Inimitability in the Qur'an: 'I'jaz al-Qur'an	351	(7)
'Abd al-Qahir al-Jurjani: Evidence of Inimitability in the Qur'an	352	(6)
Poetic Theory	358	(9)
Qudama Ibn Ja'far: Criticism of Poetry	359	(8)
Classical Poetry of the 'Abbasid Age	367	(20)
Classical School: Al-Mutanabbi: Oh, What Burning of the Heart	368	(5)
Metaphorical School: Abu Tammam: Conquest of Amorium	373	(4)
Modernist School: Abu Nuwas: Tavern of the City	377	(3)
Philosophy of Poetry and Prose: Al-Ma'arri: The Epistle of Forgiveness	380	(7)
Arabic Linguistic Tradition	387	(13)
Ibn Jinni: On Inclination	388	(6)
Al-Khalil Ibn Ahmad: Kitab al-'Ayn	394	(6)
Compendiums of Classical Culture and Literature	400	(17)
Ibn 'Abd Rabbihi: The Unique Necklace	401	(7)
Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani: The Book of Songs	408	(9)
Classical Prose of the 'Abbasid Age	417	(12)
Al-Jahiz: Elucidation and Exposition	418	(5)
Ibn al-Muqaffa': Kalila wa Dimna	423	(6)
Arabic Grammar	429	(7)
Sibawayhi: Al-Kitab	430	(6)
The Umayyads
`Udhri School of the Umayyads: Pure and Sublime Love	436	(5)
Qays Ibn al-Mulawwah: Layla's Mad Lover	437	(4)
Islamic Period
The Rise of Islam	441	(34)
Ibn Hisham: Biography of the Prophet Muhammad	442	(7)
Caliph 'Ali Ibn Abi Talib: Nahj al-Balaghah	449	(7)
Hadith of the Prophet Muhammad	456	(9)
Prophet Muhammad's Last Sermon in 632 A.D.	465	(6)
The Qur'an: Surat Maryam	471	(4)
Pre-Islamic Period
The Arabs Before Islam	475	(14)
Pre-Islamic Prose: Selected Texts	476	(6)
Pre-Islamic Poetry: Imru' al-Qays: Al-Mu'allaqa	482	(7)
Supplements
Appendices	489
Glossary	490	(49)
Clarifications	539	(25)
Literary History of the Arabs	564	(1)
Bibliography	565	(1)
Abbreviations	566