This work features twelve stories by contemporary masters from Morocco to Iraq. The twelve stories collected here are by leading authors of the short story form in the Middle East today. In addition to works by writers already well-known in the West such as "Idwar al-Kharrat", "Fuad al-Takarli" and Nobel Prize-winning "Naguib Mahfouz", key authors whose fame has hitherto been restricted to the Middle East are also included. This bilingual reader is ideal for students of Arabic as well as lovers of literature who wish to broaden their appreciation of the work of Middle Eastern writers. The collection features stories in both English and Arabic, prefaced by a brief author biography plus notes on context and background. Each story is followed by a glossary and discussion of problematic language points.

About the Author

Ronak Husni is a senior lecturer at Heriot-Watt University where she teaches Arabic language, literature and translation.Daniel L. Newman is Course Director of the MA in Arabic/English Translation at the University of Durham. He has also published An Imam in Paris (Saqi).

Table of Contents

Introduction 7Note on Transliteration 11Abbreviations 12Izz al-Din al-Madani 13The Tale of the Lamp 15Zakariyya Tamir 41A Lonely Woman 43Muhammad al-Zafzaf 56The Sacred Tree 58Ibrahim al-Faqih 70Excerpt from The Book of The Dead 72Najib Mahfuz 104Qismati and Nasibi 107Hanan al-Shaykh 144Yasmine's Picture 147Muhammad Shukri 162The Night and the Sea 164Idwar al-Kharrat 178At the Theatre 180Salwa Bakr 198Ancestral Hair 200Fu'ad al-Takarli 220A Hidden Treasure 222Layla al-Uthman 247Night of Torment 248Yusuf Idris 265A Tray from Heaven 267Bibliography 295