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Abdelrahman Munif
In the opinion of many, Abdelrahman Munif (1933-2004) was the most important author in the Arab world during the late 20th century. His magnificent trilogy, Cities of Salt, has been described by Edward Said as "The only serious work of fiction that tries to show the effect of oil…
Photo of Amin Maalouf by Tasnim Aslam
Amin Maalouf
Amin Maalouf was born in Beirut on 25 February 1949 to a Christian family. Educated and a French Jesuit school and later at the French University of Beirut, he writes in French. In 1975, on the outbreak of civil war in Lebanon, he moved to Paris,…
"I thought poetry could change everything, could change history and could humanise ... but now I think that poetry changes only the poet."
Mahmoud Darwish, Palestinian poet
The Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish (1941-2008) was born to a land-owning family in the village of Birwah, Galilee.…
Hoda Barakat
Lebanese-born Hoda Barakat is one of the most original voices in modern Arabic literature. Born in 1952, she graduated from Beirut University in 1975 with a degree in French literature.
She taught for a year in al-Khaim village in southern Lebanon. After the beginning of the civil war…
Tawfiq al-Hakim
Tawfiq al-Hakim (1898-1987), the son of a wealthy Egyptian judge, was born in Alexandria. He studied law in Cairo, graduating in 1925, and then continued his studies in Paris. Following his return from France, he worked as a deputy prosecutor in Alexandria, combining his legal work…
Alaa al Aswani
Born in 1957, Alaa al Aswani is a dentist-turned-writer who has was written prolifically for Egyptian newspapers on literature, politics and social issues.
He was made famous by The Yacoubian Building (Imarat Yaacoubian), published in 2002, which for several years was reputedly the…
"At times, Adonis's poetry is both revolutionary and anarchic; at other times, it approaches the mystical." – Kamal Abu-Deeb
Adonis, the poet
One of the greatest poets in Arabic literature, Ali Ahmad Said Asbar (better known as Adonis) is also something of an iconoclast. His prose writings have…
The invention of paper
PAPER was introduced to the Arab world long before it became available in Europe - and this partly accounts for the early development of Arabic literature.
Parchment or papyrus was generally used until the 8th century when the first Chinese paper was imported into Iraq,…
Introduction
The most outstanding Arabic writer of the 20th century was Naguib Mahfouz (1911-2006), a prolific Egyptian novelist, playwright, and screenwriter who won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1988. Other prominent 20th century writers from Egypt – which was long regarded as the…
Introduction
Classical written Arabic was inaccessible to the illiterate masses and largely incomprehensible – even if read aloud – to those who knew only local dialects. This led to the development of oral folk literature in which professional storytellers recounted popular tales, often adding new…
ARAB ART ONLINE: Susan Hefuna: Al Sabr Gamil (Patience is Beautiful) 2007. Ink stained on wood 140 x 170 cm. More information | Click to enlarge
