The Edinburgh Companion to the Arab Novel in English: The Politics of Anglo Arab and Arab American Literature and Culture

In this book, 19 stimulating new essays look at the Anglo-Arab novel from 1911 to the present day. Opening up the field of diasporic Anglo-Arab literature to critical debate, this reference companion spans from the first Arab novel in 1911 right up to the present day, focusing on the resurgence of the Anglo-Arabic novel in the last 20 years. The combination of classroom-friendly essays, to guide students through the set novels on Anglo-Arab literature courses, and sophisticated critical analyses of the major Anglo-Arab novelists, for advanced scholars, make this the ultimate, one-stop resource. The novel is a largely imported European genre, coming relatively late to the history of Arab letters. So it is not surprising that the first Arab novel – Ameen Rihani’s The Book of Khalid, 1911 – was written in English. Subsequent years saw the flourishing of, first, Arabic novels, then the Francophone Arab novel. In the last two decades, the Anglophone Arab novel has experienced a second coming: the focus of this collection. It guides students through the novels they are required to read on Anglo-Arab literature courses.It looks at authors including Ameen Rihani, Ahdaf Soueif, Waguih Ghali, Etel Adnan, Diana Abu-Jaber, Jamal Mahjoub, Rawi Hage, Loubna Haikal, Jad El Hage, Mohja Kahf, Samia Serageldin, Rabih Alameddine, Mona Simpson, Leila Aboulela, Laila Lalami, Hisham Matar and Fadia Faqir. Topics include pedagogy and the literary marketplace.

Reviews of The Edinburgh Companion to the Arab Novel in English: The Politics of Anglo Arab and Arab American Literature and Culture

'The Edinburgh Companion to the Arab Novel in English, carefully edited by Nouri Gana, brings together the work of some of the very best comparative literature scholars. The essays are all marked by both their theoretical rigor and the clearly expounded close readings of the texts and authors upon which they focus. The Companion is a valuable addition to the relatively small but growing library of critical works devoted to this particular subfield of comparative literature studies.' – Roger Allen, Professor of Arabic & Comparative Literature Emeritus, University of Pennsylvania 'A much needed and welcome anthology. Gana has collected an excellent range of essays of various critical approaches, all of them readable and insightful, as are his contextual contributions. Highly recommended for classroom use.' – Steven Salaita, Associate Professor of English, Virginia Tech