The Essential Tawfiq Al-Hakim

The Essential Tawfiq Al-Hakim
Author: Denys Johnson-Davies
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 243
Release: 2013
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 9774165926

The importance of Tawfiq al-Hakim (1898 to 1989) to the emergence of a modern Arabic literature is second only to that of Naguib Mahfouz. If the latter put the novel among the genres of writing that are now an accepted part of literary production in the Arab world today, Tawfiq al-Hakim is recognized as the undisputed creator of a literature of the theater. In this volume, Tawfiq al-Hakim's fame as a playwright is given prominence. Of the more than seventy plays he wrote, The Sultan's Dilemma, dealing with a historical subject in an appealingly light-hearted manner, is perhaps the best known; it appears in the extended edition of Norton's World Masterpieces and was broadcast on the old Home Service of the BBC. The other full-length play included here, The Tree Climber, is one that reveals al-Hakim's openness to outside influences in this case, the absurdist mode of writing. Of the two one-act plays in this collection, The Donkey Market shows his deftness at turning a traditional folk tale into a hilarious stage comedy. Tawfiq al-Hakim produced several of the earliest examples of the novel in Arabic; included in this volume is an extract from his best known work in that genre, the delightful Diary of a Country Prosecutor, in which he draws on his own experience as a public prosecutor in the Egyptian countryside. Three of the many short stories he published are also included, as well as an extract from The Prison of Life, an autobiography in which Tawfiq al-Hakim writes with commendable frankness about himself. Contents: Introduction by Denys Johnson-Davies, The Sultan's Dilemma (full-length play), The Tree Climber (full-length play), The Donkey Market (one-act play), The Song of Death (one-act play), Diary of a Country Prosecutor (extract from the novel), Miracles for Sale (short story), The Prison of Life (extract from the autobiography), Azrael the Barber (short story), Satan Triumphs (short story).

Tawfiq Al-Hakim

Tawfiq Al-Hakim
Author: William M. Hutchins
Publisher: Lynne Rienner Publishers
Total Pages: 298
Release: 2003
Genre:
ISBN: 9780894108853

The book also includes plot summaries, a chronology of Al-Hakim's life, and a comprehensive annotated bibliography of his oeuvre."--BOOK JACKET.

Fate of a Cockroach

Fate of a Cockroach
Author: Tawfīq Ḥakīm
Publisher: Heinemann Educational Publishers
Total Pages: 200
Release: 1973
Genre: Drama
ISBN:

Maze of Justice

Maze of Justice
Author: Tawfīq Ḥakīm
Publisher:
Total Pages: 135
Release: 1989
Genre: Arabic fiction
ISBN: 9780863562006

An Egyptian comedy of errors. Partly autobiographical, it is in the form of a diary by a young public prosecutor posted to a village in rural Egypt. Imbued with the ideals of a European education, he encounters a world of poverty and backwardness, red tape and incompetence of state officials.

Biographical Dictionary of Modern Egypt

Biographical Dictionary of Modern Egypt
Author: Arthur Goldschmidt
Publisher: Lynne Rienner Publishers
Total Pages: 316
Release: 2000
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9781555872298

This desk reference provides biodata, biographical sketches, and source material for approximately 500 men and women who have played a major role in Egypt's national life.