Interpreting the Self: Autobiography in the Arabic Literary Tradition, Part One

Autobiography is a literary genre which Western scholarship has ascribed mostly to Europe and the West. Countering this assessment and presenting many little-known texts, this comprehensive work demonstrates the existence of a flourishing tradition in Arabic autobiography. Interpreting the Self discusses nearly one hundred Arabic autobiographical texts and presents thirteen selections in translation. The authors of these autobiographies represent an astonishing variety of geographical areas, occupations, and religious affiliations. This pioneering study explores the origins, historical development, and distinctive characteristics of autobiography in the Arabic tradition, drawing from texts written between the ninth and nineteenth centuries c.e. Part one demonstrates that there are far more Arabic autobiographical texts than previously recognized by modern scholars and shows that these texts represent an established and--especially in the Middle Ages--well-known category of literary production.

Publisher: University of California Press
Illustration: N
Language: ENG
Title: Interpreting the Self: Autobiography in the Arabic Literary Tradition, Part One
Pages: 00092 (Encrypted PDF)
On Sale: 2002-06-01
SKU-13/ISBN: 9780520226678
Lib Category: Autobiography
Lib Category: Arabic literature
Category: Literary Criticism : African