Tawf īq al-Hak īm and the West: A New Assessment of the Relationship
Titel:
Tawf īq al-Hak īm and the West: A New Assessment of the Relationship
Auteur:
El-Enany, Rasheed
Verschenen in:
British journal of Middle Eastern studies
Paginering:
Jaargang 27 (2000) nr. 2 pagina's 165-175
Jaar:
2000-11-01
Inhoud:
There is a considerable body of imaginative literature in Arabic, particularly fiction, which is devoted wholly or in part to the treatment of the theme of the cultural encounter/clash between East and West. Tawf īq al-Hak īm is credited with the authorship in 1938 of the first novel in Arabic (Bird of the East) dedicated to this subject, and to the popularization of the notion, already current at the time, of the spirituality of the East and materialism of the West. Earlier in 1933 Hak īm had propagated the same notion, albeit as a subsidiary theme, in his famous The Return of the Spirit. Hak īm has also spoken on the subject in many of his collected essays and interviews. The present article reassesses comprehensively his approach to the issue, revealing inherent selfcontradictions, and comes to the conclusion that his central claim was nationalist posturing rather than genuine belief.
Tijdschrift beschrijving