Arabic Literature Thrived From the 4th to Essay

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Arabic literature thrived from the 4th to 7th century which mostly involved poetry about love, fighting and courage. With the arrival of Islam, literature lost its value and the Quran (Noble Book of the Muslims) became the focus of all study. Arabic poetry underwent a period of decline from which it arose during the reign of the Umayyads. Many works were translated in Arabic during the reign of the Abbasids between 750-1258. In the 8th and 9th century, various subjects such as philosophy, mathematics, law, history and science were written about. During the 19th century, printing in Arabic started. The centers of Arabic printing were Cairo, Beirut and Damascus. Arab writers tried to express their opinions about themselves and their position in the modern world. Interest in modern Arabic literature arose after 1988 when the Egyptian novelist Naguib Mahfouz won the Nobel Prize in Literature ("Arabic Literature").

During the 19th century, a revival took place in Arabic literature and culture which is referred to as 'al-Nahda', the Arabic word for 'the Renaissance'. The term 'nahda' was first used by Jirji Zaydan (Starkey 23) who was a Lebanese novelist, journalist, editor and teacher. Napoleon invaded Egypt in 1798, which is considered the starting point of the nahda. Literary developments proceeded at a different pace in different regions of the Arab world and that is why many regions failed to feel the influence of the developments in Egypt or Syria which were the leaders in the nahda's early stages (Starkey 23). The French introduced a printing press in Egypt (Starkey 25) which would contribute greatly in the literary field.

The renaissance of Arabic literature was limited to the boundaries of Egypt and Lebanon until the 20th century. Afterwards, it spread to other regions and people started translating Arabic works into European languages so that many more people would have access to them. During this time, Arabic writers wrote about the changing political and social environment of the Arab world. Some writers had to face problems for expressing their opinion; they were imprisoned for writing anti-government pieces. On the other hand, those writers who praised the political environment were raised to higher ranks of authority.

" Not for the first time in the history of modern Arabic literature, a period of rapid literary development is popularly associated with radical political and social change." (Starkey 80)

One of the common themes of Arabic literature is family life which is mostly set against a political background and novelists could not avoid writing about the prevalent political situation in the region. Naguib Mahfouz was an Egyptian writer who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1988; his works depict life in Cairo and he is regarded as one of the first contemporary writers of Arabic literature. Most of his writings deal with politics in one way or another. He acknowledged this by saying:

"In all my writings, you will find politics. You may find a story which ignores love or any other subject, but not politics; it is the very axis of our thinking." (El Anany 23)

The authoritarian government and strict ways of life in the Arab region have given various experiences to the natives. As people become more and more aware of their rights, they struggle to make things better and this desire to make things right has given them a voice which they use in the form of their writing. Arab writers have used their words to convey their ideas and opinions to the rest of their fellow countrymen to motivate them to take a stand for themselves. Laws of the Arab regions affect family life to a great extent, as has been depicted in various novels such as Jean Sasson's The Princess Trilogy.

Literary renaissance in Egypt followed the French invasion during World War 2 which shows just how much politics became a part of Arabic literature. Badawi observes that Arabic culture was roused from its sleep when Bonaparte invaded Egypt in 1798 whereas Haywood claims that only contact with another culture could shake Arabic literature from the stagnant state that it was in (Starkey 24). Being in the eastern part of the world, Arab life revolves around family and love therefore they are two of the most dominant themes portrayed in Arabic literature, along with politics.

Naguib Mahfouz, who is considered one of the first writers in contemporary Arabic literature, wrote Midaq Alley, with a plot revolving around the lives of several people living in that alley.

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It is a poor side street in Cairo with a few shops and homes. The story is set in the 1940s when the British army is stationed in Cairo, Egypt during World War 2. In addition to the other influences, it also depicts the effects of the political situation on the thoughts and acts of the characters. During the war, some Egyptians enrol in the British Army and fight against the army of Hitler. The presence of British forces in Egypt causes many problems but for the poor, it is a source of income as they serve in the army. They are not judgmental about Hitler because all they care about is earning more money so that they can live a better life. So long as the war goes on, they have a source of income. Hussain Kirsha, the son of a cafe owner, realizes how desperate poverty can make a person. Therefore, he leaves Midaq Alley in dreams of achieving a better life by working for the British Army. After sometime of serving in the army and piling up wealth, his optimistic and ambitious nature turns into a pessimistic one.

Hussain shouted furiously, "What hopeless wretches we are. Our country is pitiful and so are the people. Why is it that the only time we find a little happiness is when the world is involved in a bloody war? Surely it's only the devil who has pity on us in this world!" (Mahfouz 126)

The changes and developments in Arabic poetry were backed by the social and political developments in the Middle East itself (Starkey 79). Nakba Day is the Day of Catastrophe which is commemorated on the 15th of May. This day marks the independence of the Israelis and the beginning of the destruction and exile of Palestinians from their homeland. Mahmoud Darwish, who was considered the voice of Palestine, began his life of exile from the age of six. Being banished from his homeland, he spent years moving from place to place. By the age of seven, he was writing militant poems that defined the existence of Palestine. Most of his poetry revolves around the Palestine-Israel conflict and the poet Zakaria Mohammed says about him:

"The whole of his poetry is a conversation between him and the Israelis to find a spot where they can reconcile." (Jaggi)

Darwish writes in his poem, Passport:

All the wheat fields

All the prisons

All the white tombstones

All the barbed boundaries

All the waving handkerchiefs

All the eyes were with me,

But they dropped them from my passport

Stripped of my name and identity?

On soil I nourished with my own hands?

Darwish used his lyrical words to convey the feelings of the Palestinians to the political forces so that peace could come to Palestine but after years in exile, when Darwish did return to Palestine in 1996 ("Mahmoud Darwish"), he felt like a stranger in his own homeland, as depicted in his poem 'Stripped of my name and identity? On soil I nourished with my own hands?'

Darwish said about himself, "I don't decide to represent anything except myself. But that self is full of collective memory." (Jaggi)

Ghassan Kanafani was another famous Palestinian writer who spent a long time in exile, in different regions, in a world where he felt unacceptable. He used the anger that had built up inside him for the purpose of bringing peace to Palestine. He did this by getting involved in politics, as well as through his writing: "My political position springs from my being a novelist. In so far as I am concerned, politics and the novel are an indivisible case and I can categorically state that I became politically committed because I am a novelist, not the opposite."

The tragedy of the Nakba had a great influence on Kanafani's political views which is reflected in his literature (Al-Madhoon). Kanafani's first novel was Men in the Sun which was published in 1962 and revolves around the lives of three men who represent three different generations of Palestinian refugees after the Nakba and who attempt to cross from Basra to Kuwait. During their attempt to illegally move to the other country, they all die. The novel describes the hardships that Palestinian refugees had to undergo as a result of the incompetence of Arab government to protect its subjects.

Another important theme that Arabic literature involves is love. The Arabs have always been fond of.....

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