The book aims to explore the foresight of prominent Middle Eastern authors and artists who anticipated the Arab Spring, which resulted in demands for change in the repressive and corrupted regimes. Eventually, it led to cracking down on the protests with excessive force, which caused tremendous human suffering, destruction, and also escalation of extreme insurgency. The author analyzes major literary and artistic works from Egypt, Syria and Tunisia, and their political context. This monograph will be helpful to scholars and students in the growing field of Middle Eastern and North African Studies and everyone who is interested in the politics of MENA.

Analyzes major literary works of Middle Eastern artists and their political context Explores the relation between arts and politics in the Middle East and North African region Actively engages with recent scholarship in the Arab Middle Eastern studies

Autorentext

Riad Ismat is Adjunct Professor of Radio, Television, and Film and a former Research Scholar at the Buffett Institute for Global Studies, Northwestern University, USA. He is the author of many creative and criticism books in Arabic, and served as Syria's Minister of Culture.

Inhalt

1. Introduction.- 2. Naguib Mahfouz: Symbolism versus Realism.- 3. Tawfiq al-Hakim: A Pyramid of Arabic Drama.- 4. Nizar Qabbani: Jasmine Never Dies.- 5. Ghada Samman: Mosaic of Memory.- 6. Youssef Chahine: Destiny.- 7. Yusuf Idris and Zakaria Tamer.- 8. Khairy Alzahaby, Gamal el-Ghitani and Halim Barakat.- 9. Son'allah Ibrahim, Fawwaz Haddad and Nawal el-Saadawi.- 10. Modern Theatre in Tunisia.- 11. Alfred Farag and Sa'dallah Wannous.- 12. Mamdouh Adwan, Mahmoud Diyab and Naguib Surur.- 13. Sa'd al-Din Wahba and Walid Ikhlasi.- 14. Salah Abdel Sabour and Rashad Rushdi.- 15. Muhammad al-Maghout and Ali Salem.