OVERVIEW

Arabic Literature II introduces students to the major developments of modern and contemporary Arabic literature, from the nahḍa to twenty-first-century migrant and diasporic writings. The course explores the evolution of the main literary genres between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, with particular emphasis on the novel and the short story, and the Egyptian context. It also examines themes such as alterity, the relationship between East and West, migration, exile, and hybrid identities in contemporary Arabic fiction. The course aims to provide students with an overall understanding of the major transformations of modern and contemporary Arabic literature.

This is a one-year course (54 hours - 9 CFU) and is divided into three teaching parts.

Students who choose Arabic literature II worth 6 CFU are required to take the second and the third parts which will be held in the second semester.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

- It intends to provide an overview of the main narrative trends in the twentieth century in relation to the political and socio-cultural evolution, analyse the most representative and relevant themes, authors and works of that period, as well as identify their specificity in the modern and contemporary Arabic literary context.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

This module aims to:

• provide students with a general grounding in modern and contemporary Arabic literature, with particular attention to the Egyptian context, the major cultural centres of the Arab world, and diasporic writings;
• reconstruct the historical and cultural context of the nahḍa and trace the development of the main modern narrative genres, especially the novel and the short story;
• introduce the main trends of twentieth- and twenty-first-century Arabic fiction in relation to the political, social, and cultural transformations of the Arab world;
• analyse literary representations of alterity, the relationship between East and West, migration, exile, and hybrid identities;
• develop students’ skills in textual analysis and the historical and cultural contextualisation of literary works;
• encourage critical reflection on literary, cultural, and identity-related issues;
• broaden students’ knowledge of the lexicon and structures of Standard Arabic through the reading and analysis of texts in the original language.

At the end of the course the student will:

• have knowledge of the historical, political, and cultural context of modern and contemporary Arabic literature;
• know the main authors, texts, and literary trends of nineteenth-, twentieth-, and twenty-first-century Arabic fiction, with particular attention to the Egyptian context and to postcolonial, migrant, and diasporic writings;
• be able to place the works studied within their historical and literary context and relate them to other authors and texts;
• be able to analyse the main themes and stylistic features of the literary texts discussed during the course;
• be able to critically discuss issues related to identity, migration, alterity, and the relationship between East and West;
• acquire specialised literary and historical-cultural vocabulary related to the topics discussed in the course, both in Italian and in Standard Arabic.

PREREQUISITES

There are no specific requirements.

TEACHING METHODS

Lectures and seminars. Texts and audiovisual materials, such as films and documentaries, will be provided in class. Students will be asked to participate in class discussions, to read and comment on several texts, both in Italian and in Arabic, as well as to prepare summaries and oral presentations.

The lessons will be held in the first semester according to the university teaching timetable.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

This is a one-year course (54 hours - 9 CFU) and is divided into three teaching parts.

Students who choose Arabic literature II worth 6 CFU are required to take the second and the third parts which will be held in the second semester.

1. Part I (18 hours in the first semester):

- Introduces the historical, cultural and literary context of the nahḍa period. Particular attention will be paid to the literary elements of continuity and rupture with the classical and pre-modern periods, to the nahḍa pioneers and their works; and to the role of the press and translations in the literary and cultural "renaissance".

- Includes reading in the Arabic language and the analysis of some passages taken from:

• Taḫlīṣ al-ibrīz ilā talḫīs Bārīz (The Extraction of Gold or an Overview of Paris) by Rifā‘a al-Ṭahṭāwī (d. 1873);
• al-Sāq ‘alà al-sāq fī mā huwa al-Fāryāq (Leg over Leg) by Fāris al-Šidyāq (d. 1887);
• Ḥadīṯ ‘Īsà ibn Hishām aw fatra min al zaman (What ʿĪsā ibn Hishām told us) by Muḥammad al Muwayliḥī (d. 1930).

- Covers the historical-literary context of the Arab world at the beginning of the twentieth century, the rise of the novel and the short story, particularly in Egypt.

The following works will be analysed:

• Zaynab by Muḥammad Ḥusayn Haykal (d. 1956);
• Fī l-qiṭār (By train) by Muḥammad Taymūr (d. 1921);
• ‘Ammī Mitwallī by Maḥmūd Taymūr (d. 1973);
• Ḥadīṯ al-qarya (Village small talk) by Maḥmūd Ṭāhir Lāšīn (d. 1954).

2. Part II (18 hours – second semester)

- Alterity between East and West: encounters and conflicts

Texts

• Tawfīq al-Ḥakīm, Bird of the East (ʿUṣfūr min al-Šarq, 1938);
• Yaḥyā Ḥaqqī, The Saint’s Lamp (Qindīl Umm Hāšim, 1944);
• al-Ṭayyib Ṣāliḥ, Season of Migration to the North (Mawsim al-hiǧra ilā l-šamāl, 1966).

3. Part III (18 hours – second semester)

- Migration and hybrid identities

Texts

• ʿAmāra Laḫūṣ, Clash of Civilizations over an Elevator in Piazza Vittorio (Kayfa tarḍaʿ min al-ḏiʼba dūna an taʿuḍḍak, 2003);
• Yasmina Khadra, What the Day Owes the Night (Ce que le jour doit à la nuit, 2008) – a Francophone novel set in colonial and postcolonial Algeria, examined as a “border text” that challenges the linguistic and geographical boundaries of Arabic literature;
• Saʿūd al-Sanʿūsī, The Bamboo Stalk (Sāq al-bāmbū, 2012).

N.B .: Students must read at least two works of their choice (novels or anthologies of short stories or poems), translated from Arabic into Italian or English, and must be able to present and analyse them in depth in the exam.

- The syllabus is the same for non-attending students. Bibliographical material and texts covered during the course will be available on Aulaweb.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

• Francesca Maria Corrao, Monica Ruocco (a cura di), Letteratura araba. Dalla Nahḍa alle rivoluzioni e oltre, Le Monnier/Mondadori Education, 2024;
• Isabella Camera d’Afflitto, Letteratura araba contemporanea. Dalla nahdah a oggi, Carocci, Roma, 2007;
• Isabella Camera d’Aflitto, Scrittori arabi del Novecento, Bompiani, Milano, 2002;
• Toelle H., Zakaria K., Alla scoperta della letteratura araba. Dal vi secolo ai nostri giorni. Argo, Lecce, 2010;
• Avino M, Camera d’Afflitto I, Salem A. (ed.), Antologia della letteratura araba contemporanea, Carocci, Roma, 2015;
• Starkey, Paul, Modern Arabic Literature, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, 2006.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

LESSONS

LESSONS START

Arabic Literature II (Academic Year 2026/2027) is a year-long course. Teaching activities will be carried out in the first semester (18 hours) by Prof. Nasser Ismail and in the second semester (36 hours) by Prof. .........

First-semester classes will begin on 29 September 2026, according to the academic calendar.

Class schedule

ARABIC LITERATURE AND CULTURE II

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Oral examination: the examination will last approx. 20 minutes for each student. It will consist of a number of questions on the various topics dealt with during the course, regarding the history and the most important genres, authors and works in modern Arabic literature, and particularly Egyptian.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The student’s learning will be evaluated based on a clear, accurate and comprehensive presentation of the historical and literary topics of the course. The student's ability to place the movements, authors and texts in the history of modern and contemporary Arabic literature as well as their ability to analyse the works chosen will also be evaluated.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Students who have valid certification of physical or learning disabilities on file with the University and who wish to discuss possible accommodations or other circumstances regarding lectures, coursework and exams, should speak both with the lecturer and with Prof. Sara Dickinson (sara.dickinson@unige.it), the Department’s disability liaison.