DISCOVERING ARABIC FICTION
This list has been compiled with the help of Middle East area studies and literature specialists. Many of the images of Arabs portrayed in English-language fiction are based on stereotypes and do not promote understanding. In addition, students and "general readers" do not often have access to novels by Arab or Arab-American writers, and are thus missing the rich literary heritage of Arabic civilization.
The work on this list began in March 1996, in residence at the American Center of Oriental Research in Amman, Jordan, while Steve Infantino was designing a course on Middle Eastern civilizations (with a grant from the United States Information Agency and a sabbatical from the College of Lake County).
A presentation based on this list, including readings of excerpts from these books, was made to the Glass Dictionary Literary Club at CLC in February 1998. The list below was prepared for a meeting of LAMPS, an organization of public librarians in Lake County, Illinois. It was updated for a North Suburban Library System reader's advisory group in March 1999. This list was the basis for a presentation at an Arab-American writers workshop in Chicago in October 1999 and a series of book discussions in Spring 2000, "Arab Voices/Ara' Arabiyya," funded by the Library Community Foundation (NSLS). For purposes of collection development, ISBNs have been provided (source: Baker & Taylor's Title Source II on the Web).
To suggest titles for this list, please contact Cindy Infantino (noura_chicago@yahoo.com).
STARTER LIST OF FICTION BY ARAB/ARAB-AMERICAN WRITERS:
Woman at Point Zero*, Nawal El Saadawi, Egyptian (Zed, 1983; $8.50 pb. ISBN, 0862321107. Arabic edition, 1975) 6; also God Dies by the Nile* 5 (Zed, 1985; $8.50 pb. ISBN, 0862322952); Searching* (Zed, 1991; $15.00. ISBN, 1856490084)--Gripping novel of an oppressed woman who strikes back
Distant View of a Minaret*, Alifa Rifaat, Egyptian (Heinemann, 1985; $12.95. ISBN, 0704324016) 6
--Understated short stories that capture the flavor of life for women in a Muslim society.
Aunt Safiyya and the Monastery*, Bahaa' Taher, Egyptian (U. of California, 1976; $35.00. ISBN, 0520200748) 6
--Unnamed narrator recalls his boyhood in a farming village in Upper Egypt; themes of retribution and modernization. Excellent introduction and glossary; "Literature of the Middle East" series.
Arabian Jazz, Diana Abu-Jaber , Jordanian-American (Harcourt, 1993; $21.95. ISBN, 0151078629. Harvest, 1994; $12.00 pb. ISBN, 0156000482) 3
--A Jordanian-American family's life in a lower-middle-class town in upstate New York. Past tragedies haunt the grown daughters and their widowed father, as well as their aunt, Fatima. Yet there are "laugh-out-loud" segments that make this a delight. Of all the books listed here, this is perhaps the most enjoyable and accessible to a "general" audience. The author has a new novel coming out in April 2003: Crescent (Norton, 2003; $24.95. ISBN, 039305747x).
A Balcony over the Fakihani: Three Novellas*, Liyana Badr, Palestinian (Interlink, 1997; $19.95. ISBN, 1566561043. $9.95 pb. ISBN, 1566561078. Arabic edition, 1983) 1, 3; also The Eye of the Mirror* (Paul & Co., 1995; $10.01 pb. ISBN, 1859640206)
--Interwoven accounts of "exile and resistance" in Lebanon.
Habibi, Naomi Shihab Nye, Palestinian-American (Simon & Schuster, 1997; $16.00. ISBN, 0689801491) 2
--Beautifully-designed book for young adults, featuring a teenage girl, Liyana, who moves with her family from St. Louis to Jerusalem and develops a relationship with a Jewish boy.
Through and Through: Toledo Stories, Joseph Geha, Syrian/Lebanese-American (Graywolf, 1990; $7.95 pb. ISBN, 1555971350) 1
--These stories have a "reminiscent" character, and reveal the various facets of the immigrant experience.
A Woman of Nazareth, Hala Deeb Jabbour, Palestinian (Interlink, 1989; $9.95 pb. ISBN, 0940793075) 2
--Amal, a Palestinian woman living in a Beirut refugee camp in the 1960s, takes a non-traditional path. Intimate look into her thought processes.
Scattered Like Seeds, Shaw J. Dallal, Palestinian-American (Syracuse U., 1998; $26.95. ISBN, 0815605536)
--Arab-American Thafer Allam "tries to reconcile the pull of his Palestinian heritage with his ties to America." The reader experiences the frustration and anger of the Palestinian diaspora, from a Beirut refugee camp to the "ghetto" of Kuwait. The book also offers an "inside view" of the politics of the oil ministries of the Arab countries.
Beirut Blues*, Hanan al-Shaykh, Lebanese (Anchor, 1996; $12.95 pb. ISBN, 0385473826. Arabic edition, 1992); also The Story of Zahra* (Anchor, 1995; $12.95 pb. ISBN, 0385472064) 8; I Sweep the Sun off Rooftops, Doubleday, 1998; $12 pb. ISBN, 0385491271; Women of Sand and Myrrh* (Anchor, 1992, $12.95 pb. ISBN, 0385423586) 5
--Beirut Blues is written in the format of letters sent from war-torn Lebanon, by Asmahan, a woman who decided not to leave. The Story of Zahra Annotation
Wild Thorns*, Sahar Khalifeh, Palestinian (Interlink, 1997; $9.95 pb. ISBN, 0940793253. Arabic edition, 1975) 2
--A heartbreaking account of the indignity, squalor, frustration, and violence of life in Nablus (West Bank). There is a short chapter (pp. 156-9) which encapsulates the tragedy of the continuing discord between Israelis and Palestinians more effectively than anything I have read in non-fiction. I cannot read the passage without weeping.
Miramar*, Naguib Mahfouz, Egyptian (Anchor, 1993; $10.95 pb. ISBN, 038526478x) 8 Annotation
Who Remembers the Sea*, Mohammed Dib, Algerian (Three Continents, 1985; $15.00. ISBN, 0894104446)
--Allegorical treatment of the war for independence in Algeria.
The Golden Chariot*, Salwa Bakr, Egyptian (Garnet, 1995; $13.95. ISBN, 1859640222) 5
--Satirical novel set in a women's prison during the Nasser era.
Season of Migration to the North*, Al-Tayyib (Tayeb) Salih, Sudanese (Heinemann, 1970; $9.95 pb. ISBN, 0435900668) 8 Annotation
Endings*, Abd al-Rahman Munif, Saudi Arabian# (Interlink, 1997; $15.95. ISBN, 0704326515) 8 Annotation
Year of the Elephant*, Leila Abouzeid, Moroccan (U. of Texas, 1990; $9.95 pb. ISBN, 029279603x) 7
--Zahra, a Moroccan woman, seeks to merge her Islamic faith with a quest for independence.
Daughter of Damascus*, Siham Turjuman, Syrian (U. of Texas, 1994; $10.95 pb. ISBN, 0292781261) 9
--"Rich reminiscence of childhood and life in the old quarters of Damascus" (Kay Campbell).
City of Saffron*, Edward al-Kharrat, Egyptian (Quartet, 1998; $19.95. ISBN, 0704326930) 10
--"Meditative yet subversively intimate ruminations about childhood" (Edward Said).
The Map of Love, Ahdaf Soueif, Egyptian (Anchor, 2000; $14.00. ISBN, 0385720114)
--Fascinating multi-generational love story interwoven with history.
*translated
#citizenship revoked
OTHER READINGS:
The TV Arab, Jack G. Shaheen (Bowling Green State U., 1984) 4Arab and Muslim Stereotyping in American Popular Culture, Jack G. Shaheen (Georgetown U., 1997) 4
I'm Glad I Look Like a Terrorist: Growing up Arab in America, Ray Hanania (Urban Strategies, 1996)
--Personal recollections by a former Chicago Sun-Times columnist and Palestinian activist
The Dream Palace of the Arabs, Fouad Ajami (Pantheon, 1998)
--Lebanese-born Johns Hopkins U. professor analyzes contemporary Arabic literature and cultureTomorrow, God Willing: Self-Made Destinies in Cairo, Unni Wikan (U. of Chicago Press, 1996)
--A Norwegian anthropologist's ten-year study of Umm Ali's poverty-stricken family
Children of the Roojme: A Family's Journey from Lebanon, Elmaz Abinader (Norton, 1991)
--Stories of three generationsThe Walking Drum, Louis L'Amour (Bantam, 1984) 2
--Islamic Spain during the "golden age."
sex, lies & stereotypes: The Image of Arabs in American Popular Fiction, Suha J. Sabbagh (American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, 1990); available for $3 plus $1.50 shipping, 4201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite 300, Washington, D. C. 20008; www.adc.org
1, recommended by Diana Abu-Jaber, Portland State U.
2, recommended by Audrey Shabbas, AWAIR
3, recommended by AET (American Educational Trust)
4, recommended by AMEU (Americans for Middle East Understanding)
5, recommended by Lynne Curtis, College of Lake County
6, recommended by Martha Simonsen, Harper College
7, recommended by Lonely Planet
8, recommended by Roger Allen, U. of Pennsylvania
9, recommended by Kay Hardy Campbell
10, recommended by Edward Said in "Embargoed Literature," The Nation, 9-17-90
SOURCES FOR ARAB/ARAB-AMERICAN FICTION:
Lonely Planet country guides for Jordan & Syria, Arab Gulf States, Yemen, Morocco, etc. ("Facts for the Visitor--Books")
Rough Guides/Travel (select a country, and click "BOOKS">
NoveList (CD-ROM and Web product); available at many public libraries
Interlink Publishing ("Emerging Voices"), 46 Crosby St., Northampton, MA 01060
PROTA (Project of Translation from Arabic Literature), Roger Allen See MESA Bulletin article
RAWI (Radius of Arab-American Writers), 160 6th Ave., NY, NY 10013
Al-Ahram Monthly Book Supplement
"By the Pen", booklist by James Nalen, East Boston Branch, Boston Public Library
Cindy Infantino, Lake Forest Library, Lake Forest, IL
***Gratitude is expressed to Steve Infantino, Diana Abu-Jaber, Martha Simonsen, Lynne Curtis, Audrey Shabbas, Kay Campbell, Elizabeth Fernea, and the Zayed family.
Cynthia Percak Infantino is Head of Reference Services at the Lake Forest Library. Cindy lived in Jordan in the spring of 1996 and has traveled widely in the Middle East. She is on the staff of the Arabic Music Retreat and is president of Xauen Music, Inc., a company dedicated to the preservation of classical Oriental music. She serves on the MVP (Multicultural Voices and Perspectives) committee for the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, as well as the National Council of Americans for Middle East Understanding. She has authored “Humanizing Islam,” for Social Studies Review (California) and "The Quintessential Qanun" for Al Jadid.
Tip Sheet: Promotional Ideas for Writers
