What About Arabic Literature?

[Night Closet]

I don't know why i always have this question in mind...But I'll ask it now...Have you ever tried to read any thing about the Arabic literature ...When ..Why and What ?>>>>Just a question

[Bakiryu]

Something like what? I've read the Arabian Nights, does that count?

[detritus]

Khalil Gibran, of course.

[stlukesguild]

I'm no expert on what counts as Arabic as opposed to Persian or other Middle-Eastern literatures. I've read Gilgamesh, the Arabian Nights, Kahil Gilbran, Hafiz, Rumi, Nizami's Layla and Manjun , some of the Qu'ran, a good portion of a book of Persian Poetry which includes Hafiz, Rumi, Attar, Saadi, etc... and some of Nazim Hikmet's poetry. Perhaps my favorite "Arabic" work is the collection of Arab-Andalusian poems (translated by Cola Franzen). These lovely lyrical poems were a major influence upon Federico Garcia Lorca and other modern Spanish poets. I also have Farid Ud-Din Attar's Conference of the Birds which I have yet to read. There are several Arabic/Persian classics that I have been seeking out for years but have yet to find a good English translation. As a visual artist I have been long fascinated with the visual arts of the middle-east... and especially the "book arts" such as the great illuminated manuscripts:

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k255/Stlukesguild/hb_2583.9.jpg

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k255/Stlukesguild/1276b.jpg

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k255/Stlukesguild/Persiah1624.jpg

I certainly wish that more of the literature were accessible to us in the West.

[vili]

I've read into classical poetry, folk tales and religious texts, but from modern writers I have only had the chance of reading Kahlil Gibran and Naguib Mahfouz. All just in translation, though.

Mahfouz is someone I would especially recommend. While I don't know how he reads in Arabic, I have found the English translations that I have read extremely beautiful.

As for why: Arabian Nights was one of my favourite books when I was a kid, and that sort of propelled me to dig into more classical Arabic texts in my teens. Then one day I decided that I really need to read some more contemporary stuff as well, when I saw a Mahfouz novel in a book shop, and as it was compared in the back cover to a number of writers that I really like, I bought it. Haven't regretted that decision, and have acquired a number of other novels from him since.

[Pensive]

Yes: Arabian Nights, Holy Quran, and Layla and Majnun and perhaps some other translations too.

[Night Closet]

Oh God ...i couldn't imagine ....most of people loves ALF LELAH WE LELAH...101NIGHTS(Arabian nights"....i do:D:DD:

[NickAdams]

To all: Was the Arabian Nights
you read abridged, or the complete volumes?

I tried reading some of the Qu'ran, but I got tired of, what seemed like the start of every sentence or paragraph, the praise be ... I plan to pick it up again in the future.

[vili]

To all: Was the Arabian Nights
you read abridged, or the complete volumes?
I probably started with a children's abridged, edited and illustrated version, then later on read a more complete version. I doubt, however, that I have ever actually read the whole thing. The English edition has what, 16 volumes, and I'm not sure if that's complete, either?

Then again, I guess it kind of depends on what Arabic manuscript you base your translation on?


I tried reading some of the Qu'ran, but I got tired of, what seemed like the start of every sentence or paragraph, the praise be ... I plan to pick it up again in the future.
There are some excellent annotated editions available out there.

[Pensive]

To all: Was the Arabian Nights
you read abridged, or the complete volumes?

Nope, not the complete version but translations of different stories from it in both English and Urdu I have read.

[earthboar]

I don't know if Persian poetry constitutes Arabic, either, but I was in a phase of collecting Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam for a while, and have a book shelf with six or seven copies, some limited editions I gave away to loved ones, etc. I agree about the Arabic style illuminations, they are really inspiring, and I could look at them all day, thanks. One copy I have has tipped illustrations by Hamzeh Abd-Ullah Kar, I wish I could share them at this moment, but that is not to be. Another Persian book of poetry I came across is something called "The Rubaiyat of Hafiz". The Rubaiyat sparked my interest in the quatrain form of poetry. Have read some of Rumi, and other Sufi mysticism, but not a lot.

I'm no expert on what counts as Arabic as opposed to Persian or other Middle-Eastern literatures. I've read Gilgamesh, the Arabian Nights, Kahil Gilbran, Hafiz, Rumi, Nizami's Layla and Manjun , some of the Qu'ran, a good portion of a book of Persian Poetry which includes Hafiz, Rumi, Attar, Saadi, etc... and some of Nazim Hikmet's poetry. Perhaps my favorite "Arabic" work is the collection of Arab-Andalusian poems (translated by Cola Franzen). These lovely lyrical poems were a major influence upon Federico Garcia Lorca and other modern Spanish poets. I also have Farid Ud-Din Attar's Conference of the Birds which I have yet to read. There are several Arabic/Persian classics that I have been seeking out for years but have yet to find a good English translation. As a visual artist I have been long fascinated with the visual arts of the middle-east... and especially the "book arts" such as the great illuminated manuscripts:
I certainly wish that more of the literature were accessible to us in the West.

[stella]

mostly Gibran i like his rebelious ideas besides he has a breathtaking style in description....also i read poetry by nizar kabani(recomended) & few of the holy Quaran

[Night Closet]

For all those members read Qur'an ...r you all muslims ?...or you are just reading for knowledge???.........i read Qur'an alot....i love it the most ...Qur'an is my favorit book...lol

[yara]

I am muslim , i read and love Qur'an as much as you love it......but sometimes
i feel that i want to read the Bible .....as a kind of curiosity i want to know what it talks about......it may be difficult ,i even may not understand some of the words....the same as the Arabic literature it is that valuable and it is that difficult and that what makes it a little hard to be read........but it's value and our curiosity makes us try because it deserves

[Cassiel240]

I actually took a course in Arab literature Winter term of this year. Here's a link to the Amazon.com list I made for it: http://www.amazon.com/Arabs-Women-Writers/lm/R3CKOT6EXT1ZD1/ref=cm_srch_res_rpli_alt/105-6829803-7531654

[Night Closet]

Great ...i read now "Abkaryet Khalid" for El A'kad...it's some difficult for me though i know arabic very good...but...i'm trying:)

[aabbcc]

I am also not an expert on what counts as Arabic literature, but let me try. To give you the full list I should probably consult my reading journals (but I read so little of it that it is basically pointless), but off the top of my head I can think of:

Qur'an - I have read it twice (each time in its entirety - ironically, I am not Muslim yet I have read Qur'an, whilst I glance on the Orthodox rosary on my wrist right now, thinking how I have never actually read Bible in its entirety, yet I am supposedly Orthodox... :D), in Bosnian translation. First time it was pure curiosity, second time the project I was working on at school.
A thousand and one nights - not the full work. I have actually been reading it fragmentarily over the years as a child.
Gilgamesh. A couple of works by Khalil Gibran, some anthology of Persian poetry. Hm, that would be it, it seems.
I have also read - but only in excerpts provided in chrestomathiae - some philosophers (such as Avicenna).

EDIT: A couple of other things I read crossed my mind. Tahar Ben Jelloun's The Sand Child, which I read last year, and Amin Maalouf's couple of works (mainly Deadly identities).

[Demian]

If you have read Rumi's stuff, I just finished a book written by his father called The Drowned Book. It may not count as literature since it is just a collection of observations taken from his journal. But the insight was wonderful, akin to Martin Buber, I thought. Both men were revered mystics in their day. Bauhaddin was the given name (first) but the rest I can't remember at the moment.

[Nossa]

I think the best read in Arabic is def. the Holy Qura'an, but since I read it mostly in Arabic I'm not sure about the translation, but I'm positive there are great editions out there.
I also read works by Yusuf Idrees, Yehia Hakky, Naguib Mahfouz...Persian poetry is also a great read, as mentioned before, like Omar Al Khayam's poems, I have the translation of Edward Fitzgerald.
Khalil Gibran is also great. And as for Al Akad, and the Abkareyat, they're really great books, just a but too difficult (that's why I got a simplified edition :D:D lol)..

[aabbcc]

I think the best read in Arabic is def. the Holy Qura'an, but since I read it mostly in Arabic I'm not sure about the translation, but I'm positive there are great editions out there.
A propos, I have got a question (please excuse me for going slightly off-topic with this) regarding the translations of Qur'an... I remember reading once, somewhere, that each translation of Qur'an to a language other than its original is regarded as interpretation only, not as the same Qur'an itself conveyed to another language... is that correct?
All the Qur'ans I have seen my life were bilingual - maybe precisely because of that? - having Arabic original next to the translation (to Bosnian in my case).

Thank you in advance and apologies for off-topic.

[Nossa]

From what I know, which isn't an expert's opinion, any translation of Qura'an is basically a paraphrase oe the original text.
Thing about Qura'an, and other Arabic writings as well, is that in order to get or understand the essense of whatever you're reading, you need to know the language itself. I'm not sure of that makes sense, but somethings in arabic, regarding certain uses of grammatical rules in certain ways, and the use of certain words in a certain way, and things like that, makes a big difference in the meaning, or better say in the 'feeling' you get while you're reading.
Hope you got what I mean..lol

[Night Closet]

I believe in that also Nossa

[Nico87]

Doubt this counts as arabic litterature, as it isn't, but I've read Saladin: All-Powerful Sultan and the Uniter of Islam by Stanley Lane-Poole about three times and it's by far the best book about Saladin I've read, not that I've read that many. I got inspired by Kingdom of Heaven so I just had to get some more information about Saladin.

[stlukesguild]

A propos, I have got a question (please excuse me for going slightly off-topic with this) regarding the translations of Qur'an... I remember reading once, somewhere, that each translation of Qur'an to a language other than its original is regarded as interpretation only, not as the same Qur'an itself

From what I know, which isn't an expert's opinion, any translation of Qura'an is basically a paraphrase of the original text. Thing about Qura'an, and other Arabic writings as well, is that in order to get or understand the essense of whatever you're reading, you need to know the language itself. I'm not sure of that makes sense, but somethings in Arabic, regarding certain uses of grammatical rules in certain ways, and the use of certain words in a certain way, and things like that, makes a big difference in the meaning, or better say in the 'feeling' you get while you're reading.

Interestingly enough this concept was applied to the Bible as well for quite some time: the Latin text being the only allowed version. This, in spite of the fact that the work most certainly was not originally written in Latin. I can certainly understand the prejudice against translation... even in purely artistic terms. With any work of art the form and the content are so interwoven so as to be one. No matter how good a translation of an original work is... it is never exactly the same as the original work and more than a transcription of a Bach fugue for organ will convey exactly the same thing when scored for orchestra or string quartet. Arabic may surely present a greater challenge for Western writers than some other languages simply due to the lack of truly talented translators fluent in the tongue.

[rgdmalaysia]

The only Arab writer I have ever read is Nobel prize winner Naguib Mahfouz but reading him makes me want to seek out others because he is a fantastic writer! The blurb from a critic on the back of the dust jacket of one of his books describes him as the Arab world's Galsworthy, Hardy, Dickens, and Zola roled into one and I don't think that is an exaggeration.

The Cairo Trilogy (Palace Walk, Palace of Desire, Sugar Street) spanning roughly thirty years in the life of a family in Cairo as the world changes around them is such a well crafted, involving, meticulously detailed work that words don't do it justice. I can't say enough good things about it.

Among his many other excellent works, I also really enjoyed "Miramar" a book told in 5 chapters each one written by a different guest in a cheap hotel in Cairo and how each of their lives are affected by the young runaway girl hired as a maid.