Short Arabic Plays

An Anthology

By Salma Khadra Jayyusi

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About this book

It is only in fairly recent times that Arab writers have turned their hands to the theater. This collection of nineteen short plays is evidence of the remarkable strides made as numerous playwrights have come to grips with the problems and potential involved with this genre.

The essence of the collection is its sheer variety. The subject matter ranges from the horrors of a political prison camp to the comic tribulations of furtive lovers trapped in a minefield, from historical fable to the world of official bureaucracy, while dramatic treatments range from the conventional to the highly experimental, some using surreal techniques- now disturbing, now hilariously amusing. Many of the plays use humor or pungent satire to address distinctively Arab issues and problems, whether these have their source outside or inside the Arab world itself.

The collection gives a valuable insight into a fast-changing and increasingly distinctive area of modern Arabic literature.

Featured authors and plays:

Yusuf al-'Ani - Where the Power Lies

Fateh Azzam and others - Ansar

Samia Qazmouz Bakri - The Alley

Mahmoud Diyab - Men Have Heads

Ahmad Ibrahim al-Fagih - The Singing of the Stars

Alfred Farag - The Person

Tawfiq al-Hakim - Boss Kanduz's Apartment Building

Tawfiq al-Hakim - War and Peace

Jamal Abu Hamdan - Actress J's Burial Night

Walid Ikhlasi - Pleasure Club 21

Riad Ismat - Was Dinner Good, Dear Sister?

Raymond Jbarra - The Traveler

Sultan Ben Muhammad al-Qasimi - The Return of Hulegu

'Ali Salim - The Coffee Bar

Mamduh Udwan - The Mask

Mamduh Udwan - Reflections of a Garbage Collector

Sa'd al-Din Wahba - The Height of Wisdom

Sa'dallah Wannus - The Glass Cafe

Sa'dallah Wannus - The King's Elephant

Brand: Salma Khadra Jayyusi