Readings in Contemporary Arabic Literature (Graduate Level)

This course presents a collection of Arabic anthologies; Poetry, Novel, Short Story and Drama, from the beginning of the second half of the 20th century to present, in the Levant, Egypt, the Maghreb and the Arabian Gulf region. The anthologies discuss theoretical aspects of each literary genre and its manifestations in the Arab social-cultural structure, the history of its emergence in this structure, and the transformations that have taken place in relation to the basic political, social, economic and religious issues. Students also learn about the classical and innovative writers through each of these anthologies, their relation to the traditional and modernist references to each genre, and the stylistic features that distinguish them from others and connect them with the origin of each one at the same time. Through that, students will learn the artistic and substantive issues that each writer is focusing on.