Period of Time – A witty and insightful critique of the life of Cairo during British rule
What “Isa ibn Herham Told Us” is an absolute masterpiece of the early twentieth century Arabic prose. Written by Egyptian journalist Muhammad al-Muwaylihi, this highly original work first appeared as a serialized piece by his family’s most renowned paper Misbah al-Sharq ( Light of the East) and was later published in 1907 as a book. Highly praised for its wit and humor, What ‘Isa ibn Hisham told us was loved by Egypt’s growing reading population and quickly became a mandatory study for generations of students.
The book bridges the gap between classical genres and contemporary Arabic novel, What ‘Isa ibn Hisham told usis split into two sections. In its tone, sarcastic and critical in its outlook the first portion of the book chronicles the travels of the Narrator, ‘Isa Ibn Hisham and his friend his friend, the Pasha in a rapidly modernizing Cairo and offers a lucid analysis of a society that is negotiating –
Suggested Read: The Silk Roads , History of the World, World War I, The Islamic World by Ladan Akbarnia, Nahj al-Balagha, Lost Islamic History, Stranger The History, Realizing Islam, Prophet Muhammad
Period of Time – However imperfectly–the conflict between traditional values and the values of imported culture. The second section is a trip to Paris for a visit to the Exposition Universelle of 1900, where al-Muwaylihi turns an unflinching eye on European contemporary society and the significance of Western imperialism in its ripples throughout the world.
The book has opened the way to the contemporary Arabic novel “What ‘Isa Ibn Hisham told us is a must-read for its understanding of the colonial era of Egypt and for its role as a pioneer in Arabic literary historical.
A version in English only.
Suggested Read: The Afghanistan File , Islam in Saudi Arabia, Top Seller: Islamic Art by Luca Mozzati, Jewish Morocco, Kingdoms of Faith and Islamic History For Kids: Story of Uhud
Product details
- ASIN : B07WV71KJN
- Publisher : NYU Press; Reprint edition (April 10, 2018)
- Publication date : April 10, 2018
- Language : English
- File size : 2406 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 606 pages
- Page numbers source ISBN : 1479840912
- Lending : Not Enabled
Muhammad al-Muwaylihi (1274-1348/1858-1930) was an Egyptian writer and political journalist, a career that he shared with his prominent father, Ibrahim al-Muwaylihi, with whom he also published the reputable and incisive newspaper Misbah al-Sharq (Light of the East). Other noteworthy works include the Critique of Shawqi’s Collected Poemsand Cure for the Soul.
Roger Allenretired in 2011 from his post in Professor of English and the Sascha Jane Patterson Harvie Professor of the University of Pennsylvania, where the professor served for 43 years as a Professor of Arabic and Comparative Literature. He is the writer and translator of a variety of publications about Arabic literature, contemporary fiction and drama, as well as the teaching of language.
Maria Golia is a journalist from Cairo, and also her own author for Cairo: City of Sand and Photography and Egypt.
