Adapting the Novel into Arabic

Professor Samah Selim discusses the translation of popular European literature into Arabic in her recent lecture  "The People's Entertainment: Translation, Adaptation and the Novel in Egypt."  The lecture focuses on the Egyptian periodical Musamarat al-Sha'b (The People's Entertainment, 1904-1911), and the importance of "doing modern literary history outside the canon of authors and texts (on) …

Zaydan’s Golden Age

In the edition of 'Abassa, Rashid’s Sister (translated in English as The Caliph’s Sister) which I recently read there was a preface which records every mention of the alleged tale of Jafar and Abbassa in classical sources, and the first chapter recites a bare-bones history tale of the move to Iraq, the death of al-Saffah, …

A Symposium on Jurji Zaydan

Jurji Zaydan is the focus of a four hour symposium at the Library of Congress as scholars from the Arab world, Europe and North America presented papers and discussed the life and work of the noted Arab novelist, journalist and publisher. And ArabLit had a post (and a quiz!) on Zaydan yesterday, read a snippet: …