The Arab world has a vibrant and rich literary scene. At Al Majalla, we highlight some of our favourite picks—from philosophy and history to science, politics, and culture.
Title: The Complete History of the Silk Road
Author: Bin Wu
Translation: Reham Samir Saad
Publisher: National Centre for Translation, Egypt
Scholars say the history of the Silk Road is the history of half the world. A new book, The Complete History of the Silk Road, therefore needs to be encyclopedic in charting this famous Eurasian trade route network from the Stone Age to modernity.
Chinese author Bin Wu explores every facet of the legendary journey, which was active for around 1,700 years and helped connect East and West not just economically but politically, culturally, and religiously.
Wu’s work encompasses Chinese mythology, cultural exchanges, conquests, invasions, the spread of religions, peace treaties, trade, technological innovations, and the political and religious figures—including emperors and generals—who shaped its legacy.
For the first time in Chinese historiography, a comprehensive account of the Silk Road is offered, providing a sweeping view of its opening, growth, and peak.
This translation by Reham Samir Saad incorporates significant texts and excerpts from classic records, official documents, decrees, and the writings of emperors, kings, leaders, scholars, and authors worldwide.
Title: Edward Said's Legacy in Contemporary Arab Critical Discourse: A Meta-Critical Study from a Mediological Perspective
Author: Noureddine Jouini
Publisher: Dar Mim Publishing, Algeria
This book is an evocative exploration into how Arab intellectual circles received the profound legacy of academic and political activist Edward Said.
Author Noureddine Jouini sees the great Palestinian-American literary critic and poet through the fresh lens of media criticism, through which he looks at the media mechanisms that facilitated Said’s impact within Arab cultural discourse.
He calls this ‘mediology’, which, at its core, examines how channels of communication shape societal awareness, exert ideological sway, and imprint values upon a community.
Jouini contends that, despite Said’s towering influence globally, his reception within Arab intellectual circles remained relatively restrained when set against contemporaries like Homi Bhabha and Gayatri Spivak before diving into the underlying factors behind this divergence.
Title: Let Me Tell You About My Father: The Life and Legacy of Sheikh Muhammad bin Nasser Al-Aboudi
Author: Tareq bin Muhammad bin Nasser Al-Aboudi
Publisher: Jadawel, Lebanon
In this book, the Saudi author takes us on an intimate journey through his father's life and legacy. Yet this is no mere biography; it unfolds as a rich tapestry of intellectual and literary exploration, historical inquiry, and thoughtful reflection.
Sheikh Al-Aboudi emerges as a towering figure among Saudi Arabia’s pioneering generation, renowned as a prolific traveler, writer, poet, and historian. His monumental contributions range from from travel literature to poetry, biography to genealogy, extending deeply into the Arabic language itself.
His father’s literary output is staggering: 216 books across diverse disciplines, including a vast 23-volume work, a 13-volume collection, and another of five volumes. Beyond these published works, he left behind a wealth of manuscripts.
Title: Malicious Stories (Histoires Nocives) - The Complete Prose Works
Author: Joyce Mansour
Translator: Mohsen Al-Balasy
Publisher: Almutawassit Publications, Italy
Readers diving into Mischievous Stories, penned by the surrealist Joyce Mansour, are in for a captivating and formidable experience, as this translation comes steeped in layers of complexity.
Translator Mohsen Al-Balasy said: “Initially, translating her prose and narrative works was tremendously challenging due to the multiple versions, dates of composition, and repeated revisions. Some of the texts were originally written in English, only to be translated and modified multiple times into French.”
The challenges here are not limited to the history of these versions but extend to Mansour’s singular, surrealist style. Her dialogues drift between the intensely intimate, like lovers’ exchanges, to the hauntingly macabre, resembling conversations between vampires and murderers.
This book demands unwavering focus and dedication, as readers must navigate the layered transformations of the characters, both psychological, intellectual, and even physiological.
Title: Memoirs of the Musician Mohamed Abdel Wahab
By: Mohamed Diab
Publisher: Al-Maraya, Egypt
These memoirs bring together writings that the prominent 20th-century Egyptian singer, actor, and composer Mohamed Abdel Wahab originally published in Al-Ithnain (Monday) magazine for years. They appeared in 19 instalments, starting on 7 March 1938, and later published in Al-Kawakib (Planets) magazine, beginning on 6 April 1945.
Authored by Abdel Wahab, these memoirs were meticulously compiled and edited by music researcher Mohamed Diab, who faithfully preserved the original text without injecting personal or critical commentary. Diab’s role was strictly limited to gathering and authenticating the material.
Through these rich memoirs, readers are invited into the intimacy of Abdel Wahab’s life, gaining insight into his relationships with prominent political figures, his connection with the esteemed poet Ahmed Shawqi, and his interactions with Queen Nazli and other notable associations.
The result is a narrative that is both captivating and enlightening, offering a treasure trove of historical and cultural insights.
