How does the Arabic and Islamic tradition impinge on the modern Arab writer? Does the fiction of a writer under colonialism necessarily engage with the national situation? In light of the global effect of Western literary forms, is an Arabic, or a third world text in general, necessarily a copy of a Western original? "Nationalism, Islam and World Literature" questions patterns of influence in the study of world literature and suggests new pathways to approach the connections between Western and Arabic literatures. It makes close readings of the original writings of Tunisia's most important modern writer, Mahmud al-Masadi (1911-2004), combining tools from literary theory and Arabic poetics. It demonstrates that the work is embedded in the Arabic literary and spiritual heritage and deeply mindful of Western culture, hence references to Sufism and medieval Arabic literature alongside Greek tragedy, Goethe and French existentialists. The book also deals extensively with the connections between writing and political activism in the contexts of anti-colonial struggle and nation building. It addresses cultural history in a specific geographical area, Tunisia during and after French colonialism, within global trends and perspectives. "Nationalism, Islam and World Literature" will be of interest to students of Tunisian culture and history, North African Studies, Arabic literature, Islamic spirituality in literature, post-colonial studies and comparative literature.

Author: Omri, Mohamed-Salah
Publisher: Routledge
Illustration: N
Language: ENG
Title: Nationalism, Islam and World Literature
Pages: 00000 (Encrypted PDF)
On Sale: 2006-05-02
SKU-13/ISBN: 9780415396448
Category: Social Science : General