Palestinian and Arab-Jewish Cultures - by Reuven Snir (Hardcover)

About the Book

Studies Arabic literary production from the point of view of commitment and hybridization and the interactions between them

Book Synopsis

Part of a two-volume set, this volume examines the issues of commitment and hybridization in Arabic literature concentrating on Palestinian literature and Arab-Jewish culture and the interactions between them. Reuvin Snir studies the contribution of Palestinian literature and theatre to Palestinian nation-building, especially since the 1948 Nakba. Becoming an essential part of the vocabulary of Arab intellectuals and writers, since the 1950s commitment (iltizām) has been employed to indicate the necessity for a writer to convey a message rather than merely create an imaginative work for its own sake. As for hybridization, the author focuses on the role Jews have played in Arabic literature against the backdrop of their contribution to this literature since the pre-Islamic period, and in light of the gradual demise of Arab-Jewish culture in recent years. The blending of elements from different cultures is one of the major phenomena in Arabic literature, certainly in light of its relationship with Islam and its cultural heritage, which has been extending during the last one-and-half millennia.

From the Back Cover

Studies the contribution of Palestinian literature and theatre to Palestine's nation-building, the emergence and demise of Arab Jewish culture and identity and the interactions between both cultures This book examines Palestinian and Arab-Jewish cultures in the 20th century, especially since the 1948 Nakba, and the characteristics of each of them. Palestinian authors and men of theatre adopted the notion of commitment (iltizām) that since the 1950s has become an essential part of the vocabulary of Arab intellectuals and writers, indicating the necessity for them to convey a message rather than merely create an imaginative work for its own sake. The flowering of Palestinian culture is analysed against the backdrop of the gradual current demise of Arab-Jewish culture and identity. Key Features  Discusses the role of the Nakba in shaping Palestinian literature and the emerging of Palestinian theatrical movement  Presents the contribution of Maḥmūd Darwīsh in the process of Palestinian nation-building  Focuses on Palestinian authors writing in Hebrew, sometimes even abandoning their mother tongue while Hebrew culture refuses to accept them as equals  Provocatively rereads the history of Jewish involvement in Arabic literature  Laments the demise of Arab-Jewish culture following the clash between Zionism and Arab national movement Reuven Snir is Professor of Arabic Language and Literature at the University of Haifa.

Review Quotes

Apart from the author's possessing an undisputable in-depth knowledge of the subjects discussed, the most interesting thing with this work is the new perspectives that are being presented. This is achieved by the writer's method of putting the subjects against the backdrop of different angles. The method of looking at the subjects against the different axes has its own original place and it gives its own contribution to a deeper understanding of Arabic literature.

-- "Astrid Ottosson al-Bitar, Associate Professor, Stockholm University"

About the Author

Reuven Snir is Professor of Arabic Language and Literature at the University of Haifa. His most recent books in English include Arab-Jewish Literature: The Birth and Demise of the Arabic Short Story (Brill, 2019), Modern Arabic Literature: A Theoretical Framework (EUP, 2017), Baghdad ― The City in Verse (Harvard University Press, 2013) and Who Needs Arab-Jewish Identity? (Brill, 2015).