Arabic Poetry: Trajectories of Modernity and Tradition (Routledge Studies in Middle Eastern Literatures)

Since the late 1940s, Arabic poetry has spoken for an Arab conscience, as much as it has debated positions and ideologies, nationally and worldwide. This book tackles issues of modernity and tradition in Arabic poetry as manifested in poetic texts and criticism by poets as participants in transformation and change. It studies the poetic in its complexity, relating to issues of selfhood, individuality, community, religion, ideology, nation, class and gender. Al-Musawi also explores in context issues that have been cursorily noticed or neglected, like Shi’i poetics, Sufism, women’s poetry, and expressions of exilic consciousness. Arabic Poetry employs current literary theory and provides comprehensive coverage of modern and post-modern poetry from the 1950s onwards, making it essential reading for those with interests in Arabic culture and literature and Middle East studies. Since the late 1940s, Arabic Poetry has spoken for an Arab conscience, as much as it has debated positions and ideologies, nationally and worldwide. This book tackles issues of modernity and tradition in Arabic poetry as manifested in poetic texts and criticism by poets as participants in transformation and change.

Arabic Poetry studies the poetic in its complexity as pertaining to issues of:

· Selfhood
· Individuality
· Community
· Religion
· Ideology Nation
· Class
· Gender

This book also studies in context, issues that have been cursorily noticed or neglected, like Shi'i poetics, Sufism, women's poetry, and expressions of exilic consciousness. It employs current literary theory and provides comprehensive coverage of modern and post-modern poetry from the 1950s onwards.

Arabic Poetry is essential reading for those with interests in Arabic culture and literature and Middle East studies.

BOOK COVER......Page 1 HALF-TITLE......Page 2 SERIES-TITLE......Page 3 TITLE......Page 6 COPYRIGHT......Page 7 DEDICATION......Page 8 CONTENTS......Page 10 PREFACE......Page 14 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS......Page 20 A NOTE ON TRANSLATION AND TRANSLITERATION......Page 22 1. POETIC TRAJECTORIES: Critical introduction......Page 24 2. THE TRADITION–MODERNITY NEXUS IN ARABIC POETICS......Page 53 3. POETIC STRATEGIES: Thresholds for conformity and dissent......Page 91 4. POETIC DIALOGIZATION: Ancestors in the text—figures and figurations......Page 111 5. DEDICATIONS AS POETIC INTERSECTIONS......Page 153 6. ENVISIONING EXILE: Past anchors and problematic encounters......Page 185 7. THE EDGE OF RECOGNITION AND REJECTION: Why T.S. Elliot?......Page 241 8. CONCLUSION: Deviational and reversal poetics—dissent, not allegiance......Page 260 NOTES......Page 291 WORKS CITED......Page 327 INDEX......Page 342 1. Poetic trajectories: introduction 2. The tradition/modernity nexus in Arabic poetics 3. Poetic strategies: thresholds for conformity and dissent 4. Poetic dialogization: ancestors in the text, figures and figurations 5. Dedications as poetic intersections: precursors and contemporaries 6. Envisioning exile: past anchors and problematic encounters 7. The edge of recognition and rejection: why T. S. Eliot? 8. Conclusion: re-inscribing tradition. "Since the late 1940s, Arabic poetry has spoken for an Arab conscience, as much as it has debated positions and ideologies, nationally and worldwide. This book tackles issues of modernity and tradition in Arabic poetry as manifested in poetic texts and criticism by poets as participants in transformation and change."--Jacket