First Published in 1988. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

First Published in 1988. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Here is a passionate and eclectic collection of essays, poems, and scholarship that brings to life Jerusalem, that most enigmatic and compelling of cities, in its embattled, contemporary guise as well as in its ancient history. The book begins in the immediacy of today's Jerusalem--with its dispossessions and laws, its bloody conflicts and massive skyscrapers--and moves backward in time to Classical Jerusalem, working to disentangle the knots of the three great monotheistic religions, and finally comes to rest in a section that is a testament to the physical facts of Jerusalem: its monuments and alleys, its smells, its music, its people. Throughout it all, the Jerusalem that emerges is, as Mureed Barghouthy puts it, "the Jerusalem of the people," for it is the people who live or have lived there, who know the "Jerusalem of houses and cobbled streets and spice markets...of our neighbor the nun and her neighbor the "muezzin, who was always in a hurry." Tellingly, the anthology begins and ends with the words of poets: "I'm not interested in/Who suffered the most," writes Naomi Shihab Nye in the introductory poem. "I'm interested in/People getting over it" This book is about a beloved Jerusalem whose intricacies and human inventions are ultimately larger than the current conflict.

Jayyusi presents in English translation a Palestinian world view characterized by intensity, paradox, aspiration, and eloquence. Anthology of Modern Palestinian Literature will certainly become indispensable to anyone with a serious interest in contemporary Arab culture.

Translations of twelve popular Arabic plays written and produced during the past thirty years introduce English readers to the vibrant theater scene of the Arab world. The plays from Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and Tunisia reflect a variety of dramatic trends and styles and provide insights into contemporary social, cultural, and political currents. This well-prepared anthology represents a unique contribution to the study of world drama and modern Middle Eastern culture.

Playwrights include Yusuf al-Ani, Abd al-Aziz al-Surayii, the Balalin Company of Jerusalem, Izz al-Din al-Madani, Mahmud Diyab, Alfred Farag, Walid Ikhlasi, Isam Mahfuz, Salah Abd al-Sabur, Ali Salim, Mamduh Udwan, and Sadallah Wannus."

Short fiction was an immensely innovative art in the medieval Arab world, providing the perfect vehicle for transmitting dazzling images of life and experiences as early as pre-Islamic times. These works also speak to the urbanization of the Arab domain after Islam, mirroring the bustling life of the Muslim Arabs and Islamized Persians and reflecting the sure stamp of an urbanity that had settled very staunchly after big conquests. All the noises and voices of the Umayyads and Abbasids are here. One can taste the flavor of Abbasid food, witness the rise of slave girls and singers, and experience the pride of state. Reading these texts today illuminates the wide spectrum of early Arab life and suggests the influences and innovations that flourished so vibrantly in medieval Arab society. The only resource of its kind, Salma Khadra Jayyusi's "Classical Arabic Stories" selects from an impressive corpus, including excerpts from seven seminal works: Ibn Tufail's novel, "Hayy ibn Yaqzan"; "Kalila wa Dimna by Ibn al-Muqaffa"; "The Misers" by al-Jahiz; The Brethren of Purity's "The Protest of Animals Against Man"; "Al-Maqamat" (The Assemblies) by al-Hamadhani and al-Hariri; "Epistle of Forgiveness" by al-Ma'arri; and the epic romance, "Sayf Bin Dhi Yazan." Jayyusi organizes her anthology thematically, beginning with a presentation of pre-Islamic tales, stories of rulers and other notables, and thrilling narratives of danger and warfare. She follows with tales of love, religion, comedy, and the strange and the supernatural. Long assumed to be the lesser achievement when compared to Arabic literature's most celebrated genre-poetry-classical Arabic fiction, under Jayyusi's careful eye, finally receives a proper debut in English, demonstrating its unparalleled contribution to the evolution of medieval literature and its sophisticated representation of Arabic culture and life.

After centuries of oppressive Ottoman rule, the Arab world began to find new vitality and freedom in the twentieth century. The accompanying resurgence of creative expression is splendidly reflected in this definitive anthology of contemporary Arabic poetry, which spans the modern Arab world from the turn of the century to the present, from the Arab Gulf to Morocco. The editor, Salma Khadra Jayyusi, a renowned expert on modern Arabic literature, presents a through introduction to the works of more than ninety Arab poets. To create the best possible English translation, each selection has been translated first by a bilingual expert and then by an English-language poet, who creatively renders it into idiomatic English.

Short fiction was an immensely innovative art in the medieval Arab world, providing the perfect vehicle for transmitting dazzling images of life and experiences as early as pre-Islamic times. These works also speak to the urbanization of the Arab domain after Islam, mirroring the bustling life of the Muslim Arabs and Islamized Persians and reflecting the sure stamp of an urbanity that had settled very staunchly after big conquests. All the noises and voices of the Umayyads and Abbasids are here. One can taste the flavor of Abbasid food, witness the rise of slave girls and singers, and experience the pride of state. Reading these texts today illuminates the wide spectrum of early Arab life and suggests the influences and innovations that flourished so vibrantly in medieval Arab society. The only resource of its kind, Salma Khadra Jayyusi's "Classical Arabic Stories" selects from an impressive corpus, including excerpts from seven seminal works: Ibn Tufail's novel, "Hayy ibn Yaqzan"; "Kalila wa Dimna by Ibn al-Muqaffa"; "The Misers" by al-Jahiz; The Brethren of Purity's "The Protest of Animals Against Man"; "Al-Maqamat" (The Assemblies) by al-Hamadhani and al-Hariri; "Epistle of Forgiveness" by al-Ma'arri; and the epic romance, "Sayf Bin Dhi Yazan." Jayyusi organizes her anthology thematically, beginning with a presentation of pre-Islamic tales, stories of rulers and other notables, and thrilling narratives of danger and warfare. She follows with tales of love, religion, comedy, and the strange and the supernatural. Long assumed to be the lesser achievement when compared to Arabic literature's most celebrated genre-poetry-classical Arabic fiction, under Jayyusi's careful eye, finally receives a proper debut in English, demonstrating its unparalleled contribution to the evolution of medieval literature and its sophisticated representation of Arabic culture and life.

While the notion of 'human rights' is sometimes thought to be a product of the Western Enlightenment, human rights as a subject for philosophical enquiry and a the basis for government in fact have a long and rich heritage within Arab thought. In this anthology, Salma K. Jayyusi brings together a list of distinguished scholars to reflect the range and depth of Arab thinking on this subject. Translated from the best-selling Arabic edition, this work offers English readers a fresh and original insight into the rich literature of human rights. Leading Arab intellectuals have made contributions on topics ranging from civil and political rights to the rights of women. Spanning pre-Islamic times to the present day, this work explores the developing relationship between the theory and practice of human rights in Arab societies. The contributors write from a number of perspectives: Islamist, secular, generalist, regionalist, historical and political, bringing together ideas which will challenge and enlighten anyone interested in human rights and the modern Arab world.