With What ‘Isa Ibn Hisham Said to Us The Library of Arabic Literature brings readers an award-winning masterpiece from the early 20th century of Arabic prose. Written by Egyptian journalist Muhammad al-Muwaylihi, this exceptional title first appeared in serial form by his family’s pioneering paper Misbah Al-Sharq( Light of the East), upon which this version is founded, and then published in 1907 as a book.
It was lauded for its wisdom and humor, What ‘Isa ibn Hisham told us was welcomed by Egypt’s growing reading population and was soon required read for generations Egyptian students at school.
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Combining classical genres with the emergence of contemporary Arabic writing, What ‘Isa ibn Hisham Told Us is split in two sections, one of which was added to the text in the fourth edition in 1927. The tone is humorous and sharp in its approach, the book describes the travels of the Narrator ‘Isa’
Along with his companion as well as his pal, and his friend, Pasha and his companion, the Pasha, through a fast Westernized Cairo in the midst and apex of British occupation, offering a vivid analysis of a society that is attempting to negotiate–albeit imperfectly, the clash of foreign customs and values with traditional standards of law, conduct, and education.
“The “Second Journey” takes the Narrator to Paris to see the Exposition Universelle of 1900, where Al-Muwaylihi turns the unflinchingly critical gaze on European society modernity, the state of affairs, and the impact of Western imperialism, as it echoes throughout the world.
It has paved the way for the contemporary Arabic novel The Story of ‘Isa Ibn Hisham Has Told Us is a must-read for its sociological understanding of colonial Egypt and its role as a pioneer in Arabic literary historical.
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A bilingual Arabic-English edition.
- ASIN : B010R4NBVI
- Publisher : NYU Press
- Publication date : July 3, 2015
- Language : English
- File size : 1212 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Not Enabled
- Print length : 521 pages
- 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 his Sascha Jane Patterson Harvie professor at 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 related to Arabic literature, contemporary drama and fiction, as well as the study of language and language teaching.
