At a glance A shorthand guide to recent publications compiled by Mahmoud El-Wardani Magazines

Al-Kotob: Wughat Nazar (Books: Viewpoints), monthly magazine, issue no. 61, vol no. 6, February 2004, Cairo: The Egyptian Company for Arab and International Publication This issue of Wughat Nazar heralds the start of the magazine's sixth year. It opens with an editorial by Salama Ahmed Salama, the editor, in which he reviews the tumultuous events of 2003 and concludes that the Arab world is in for widespread change. The magazine also offers a translation of an essay on the decision to ban the wearing of the hijab, or Islamic headscarf, in French public educational institutions by Tarek Ramadan, grandson of the founder of the Muslim Brothers, who is a professor in Switzerland, as well as an interview with him conducted by Solaris magazine and a review of his 1998 book, To be a European Muslim. To complement this material, the magazine also republishes an excerpt from Sheikh Youssef El-Qardawi's book on Muslim minorities. Elsewhere in the magazine, critic Sabri Hafez reviews two best-selling books in English and Hassan Hanafi marks 25 years since the disappearance of the Lebanese Shi'ite Imam Moussa Al-Sadr. Farouk Abdel-Qader contributes an obituary of novelist Abdel-Rahman Mounif. Among other highlights, Azmi Bishara and Sahar Khalifa discuss the role of Israeli checkpoints in Palestinian life in Gaza and Ramallah, while Khaled Asfour assesses the negative impact of the so-called "modernisation projects", including the building of golf courses on the Egyptian Mediterranean coast.

Al-Hilal, monthly magazine, issue no. 2, February 2004, Cairo: Al-Hilal Publishing House The latest issue of Al-Hilal opens with an uncharacteristically angry article by Mustafa Sweif in which the senior psychologist deals with three timely issues: political parties, educational institutions and state awards. Elsewhere in the same issue, Galal Amin writes on the American media campaign supporting the invasion of Iraq, while Youssef Zeidan discusses the recent controversy at the Alexandria Library on the European anti-Semitic text Protocols of the Elders of Zion. Besides the usual monthly instalment of literary texts, the magazine this month also runs a commemorative file celebrating Dar Al-Kotob's 100th anniversary, a comprehensive study of Gabriel-Garcia Marquez's memoirs, translated from the Spanish by Soliman El-Attar, and several essays in literary history, ranging from a discussion of the late Palestinian poet Fadwa Touqan's correspondence with late critic Anwar El-Ma'adawi to a new chapter of the autobiography of critic Salah Fadl.

Adab wa Naqd (Literature and Criticism), monthly literary magazine, issue no. 222, February 2004, Cairo: Progressive National Unionist Party publications The present issue of the left-wing monthly, the second to celebrate the magazine's 20th anniversary, opens with two editorials by Salah El-Seroui and Maged Youssef in which they discuss the magazine's role in Egyptian cultural life. The issue also documents a workshop organised last month by the Swiss organisation Pro Helvetia, in which two Swiss writers collaborated with three Egyptian writers. Three of the texts written for the recent Culture Council Novelists Conference, by Hassouna El-Mesbahi, Saad El-Qersh and Al-Habib Ismail, are also published in their entirety alongside four poems, six stories and a selection of modern German poetry translated by Abdel-Wahab El-Sheikh. This month's "Little Diwan" features poetry by members of India's "untouchable" caste, translated and introduced by Talaat El-Shayeb.

Sutour (Lines), monthly magazine, issue no. 87, February 2004, Cairo: Sutour Publications This issue of Sutour is almost wholly devoted to "The World and I", a provocative and appropriately broad issue to which numerous writers contribute: Ezzat El-Qamhawi on "Arab vs European time"; Azzazi Ali Azzazi on Europe's voyeuristic stance towards the Arab world; Qasem Abdou Qasem on Arab conceptions of self in history and at present; Mahmoud Kheirallah on erroneous Arab conceptions of the West; Safinaz Kazim on "the age of resistance, not the age of demise"; Salah Qunsuwa on the global business of making enemies; Gamal Asaad on American Copts' interventions in Egyptian religious affairs; Ashraf El-Sabbagh on "the plurality of the I and of the other"; and Yehya Wagdi on the views of professionals and students on this issue. To balance this central section, the magazine also provides translations of eight short essays having to do with Western views of the Arab world, and there are also plenty of literary texts and reviews.

Nour, A Quarterly Review of Books, issue no.21, Fall 2003, Cairo: Arab Women's Publishing House This issue of Nour is divided into sections on sociology and literature. In the former, Radwa Ashour and Masoud Daher review Nuwaihid Al-Hout's book Sabra and Shatila: September 1982, Mona Fayyad reviews Fatma El-Marnisi's Al-Aabira Al-Maksourat Al-Jinah (The Passer-by with a Broken Wing), and Mundhir Gaber takes stock of Hassan Al-Saffar's book Shakhsiat Al-Mar'a Bayna Ru'yat Al-Islam wa Waqi' Al-Muslimin (Woman's Character between the Vision of Islam and the Reality of Muslims). In the latter literary section, Sonallah Ibrahim reviews Ashour's collection of short stories, Taqarir Al-Sayida Raa (Mrs R's Reports), while Sahar Tawfik examines Jerusalem Memories by Sereen Al-Husseini Shahid. Mohamed Berrada also writes on Hayfaa Zinkana's Nisaa 'ala Safar (Journeying Women), Nevine El-Nusseiri on Mai El-Telmesani's novel Heliopolis and George Dorian on Khadija Marwani's Sirat Al-Ramad (Biography of Ashes).

Aragin, Awraq fil-Thaqafa Al-Libiya (Papers in Libyan Culture), issue no. 1, January 2004, Cairo: Centre of Arab Civilisation The first issue of this occasional book, published by a group of Libyan intellectuals in Cairo, opens with an editorial that reads much like a mission statement: Arab culture in Libya, these intellectuals write, is confronted by major questions relating to status and identity vis-à-vis globalisation, electronic culture and corporate growth. Proposing to discuss these issues, the occasional series of which this is the first issue hopes to contribute to the spread and sustainable growth of scientific and rational thought in an attempt to devise new mechanisms for research. In this context, the issue offers a section on identity in a changing world, to which Reda Ben Moussa and Idris Al-Mashawi's contribute articles. The section also features Naguib Al-Hasadi, Jom'a Atiqa, Youssef Al-Sherif and Mohamed Al-Mofti on different aspects of identity. Elsewhere, the publication includes literary texts and reviews of Libyan books and includes selections from the English-language poetry of Khaled Mutawi in Arabic translation.

Awn, biannual magazine, issue no. 6, January 2004, Cairo: Ain Shams University Bearing the neighbourhood's ancient name, this entertaining magazine benefits from the experience of an impressive editorial team including the deputy president of Ain Shams University, Mohamed Fahmi Tolba, and the seasoned writer Mursi Saad El-Din. In this, its sixth issue, the magazine lives up to the university's reputation, providing its reader with, among other articles, a discussion of environmentally aware architecture, an essay on the connection between literature and war, a report on the latest developments in "weapons of mind control", a short history of universities in Egypt from ancient times to the present and a report on the last international leadership and educational management conference at Harvard. Boasting the contributions of several respected scholars -- Ali Lotfi, Samir Wali, Ishaq Ebeid, to mention but three examples -- the articles are nonetheless written in an accessible and engaging style. Yet, benefitting from their authors' academic background and their passionate interest in their subjects of choice, they provide plenty of information and not a little insight into those subjects.

Nizwa, quarterly magazine, issue no. 37, January 2004, Oman: Oman Institution for Journalism, News, Publication and Advertising The last issue of Oman's most popular cultural magazine opens with an engaging new diary by editor Seif Al-Rahbi, in which he reports on his journey into the African desert, weaving aspects of Arabic heritage into his tale. In the Studies section articles range from Said Tawfik on the late philosopher Abdel-Rahman Badawi and Farag Abul-Esha on contemporary Libyan poetry to Hossam El-Khatib on the connection between culture and technology and Mohamed Lotfi Al-Yousifi on the imagination of travellers. Sharbal Dagher discusses contemporary developments in structuralism, throwing light on the anti-rational orientation inherent in deconstruction. The Bahraini critic Gaafar Hassan reviews a recent exhibition of installations held in Manama, while Moroccan poet Mahmoud Abdul-Ghani interviews writer Abdul-Latif Al-Le'abi. Translations include Carlos Fuentes on the benefits of a hybrid culture as evidenced in Latin America, the full script of The Hours and a poem by Alice Walker, while the Poetry section includes new work by Yahya Al-Nabe'i, Rola Hassan, Elyas Lahoud, Mohamed Al-Qaisi and many others. The Reviews section of the magazine catches up with the work of, among others, poet Shawqi Abu-Shaqra and novelist Hani Al-Raheb. Youssef El-Qaid provides an overview of the contemporary novel in the Maghreb, while Amal Moussa covers the Day of Arabic Poetry held recently in Italy.

Books

Tahqiq ma lil-Hind men Maqoula Maqboula fil-Aql Aw Mardhoula (A Report on India), Mohamed Ibn Ahmed Al-Khawarizmi (Al-Bayrouni), Cairo: General Organisation for Cultural Palaces (Al-Zakhair Series), 2004. pp548 This classic book was intended to offer the Arab reader a panorama of the exotic and exciting Indian subcontinent -- its culture, manners, customs and Muslim heritage. The author, Mohamed Ibn-Ahmed Al-Khawarizmi, known as Al-Bayrouni, for many years travelled, lived and wrote in the area extending from Samarkand in Central Asia to Northern India, and his encyclopaedic approach to writing served him well in documenting his experiences. The book offers a wealth of historical information on languages and literature, history and geography, philosophy, mathematics and medicine. Al-Bayrouni also compares Indian to Greek and Muslim Sufi thought, delving into Indian conceptions of creation and outlining the structures of Indian society.

Enad Al-Zakira (The Stubbornness of Ammunition), Idris Ben Al-Tayib, Cairo: Centre of Arab Civilisation, 2004. pp90 In his latest book, Libyan poet Idris Ben Al-Tayib publishes 20 short poems written in Rome, Bangkok and New Delhi from the late 1990s on. Even though some of the poems in this collection hanker back to the rhythms of taf'ila, Ben Al-Tayib belongs to a later generation of Arab poets who have adopted prose as their medium of choice. Yet, even when he writes in prose Ben Al-Tayib differs from many of his contemporaries, producing poetry that seems to belong to a bygone era and making stylistic and thematic choices that his 1990s counterparts have largely forgone. The result is a muddle of 1960s rhetoric and 1990s language.

Lailat Al-Reesh (Feather Night), Jamal Naji, Beirut: Arab Institution for Studies and Publication, 2004. pp388 This is Jordanian novelist Jamal Naji's seventh book and his fifth collection of short stories, his work having appeared periodically from 1982 to 1994. It took the author eight years to complete this book, which runs to nearly 400 pages and is his longest text to date. It deals with a string of ambiguous events that take place in a certain bank and discusses the conflicts and corruption that beset the bank's employees. The institution itself acquires symbolic significance, becoming a microcosm of society and of the human psyche. Naji has a knack for using private individuals as signposts for more general statements about humanity. Yet, in bringing together a work of such proportions, he has encountered problems all too evident in the text: his digressions tend to interrupt the flow of the writing, for example; he does not always employ the strictest economy of means; and the action seldom takes place outside the bank itself, undermining readability.

Men Funoun Al-Adab Al-Sha'bie fil-Turath Al-Sha'bie (Folk Arts, Folk Heritage), Mohamed Ragab El-Naggar, Cairo: General Organisation for Cultural Palaces (Folk Studies Series), 2003, two volumes The author of this book attempts a rereading of canonical Arabic literature in the light of the study of folk literature, stressing the fact that the custodians of Arab culture have always sought to collect, document and categorise such work, by so doing conserving it for future generations. It is largely on such documentation that the author depends, adopting not only Western folklore studies as his method, but also adapting the working methods of the classical Arab commentators as well. Beginning with Arab mythology, and discussing proverbs, parables and other "arts of the tongue", including little-discussed creative practises such as al-mu'adhalat al-lughawiya, the art of inventing expressions that are difficult to pronounce, he moves on to the structure, function and import of stories in A Thousand and One Nights. The author concludes with a discussion of narrative theory in both written and oral story-telling traditions, and thus provides the reader with a useful introduction to classical folk stories and to the study of Arabic oral creativity.

Fil Masrah Al-Misri: Tajreeb wa Takhreeb (On Egyptian Theatre: Experiment and Destruction), Farouk Abdel-Qader, Cairo: Al-Urouba for Studies and Research, 2004. pp143 In his introduction to this, his latest book, critic Farouk Abdel-Qader points out that the kind of "serious theatre" that he kept up with as editor of a specialist magazine and as a culturally aware theatre-goer only thrived in Egypt for two decades, between the mid-1950s and the mid-1970s. Many factors then contributed to its demise: the 1967 defeat, censorship and theatre people's own failure to uphold their principles. The disappearance of serious theatre has therefore given way to new kinds of theatre: commercial theatre, and theatre that perpetuates the status quo. In this context Abdel-Qader feels that the Ministry of Culture's decision to found an Experimental Theatre Festival in Cairo was a form of madness: why spend money on bringing theatrical experiments from across the world to Cairo at a time when our own Egyptian theatre is as good as dead? The first half of the book is made up of articles on the aforementioned festival's seasons between 1988 and 1994, while the second half, also made up of previously published articles, comprises reviews of specific productions, such as two performances of Alfred Farag's The Barber of Baghdad, the one staged in 1964 and the other in 2002.

Qissat Hayah 'Adiya (An Ordinary Life Story), Yehya El-Gamal, Cairo: Dar Al-Hilal (Al-Hilal Book Series), 2004. pp263 Yehya El-Gamal's choice of title for the second part of his autobiography is spot on: this, indeed, is an ordinary life story that does not stand out in any way. In the first part of his autobiography, published more than three years ago, El-Gamal discussed his birth and upbringing, describing his life up to graduation from university and his sojourn in Libya. This second part is more exciting, discussing the author's experiences as a university professor, his time in Paris and his return to Egypt as minister of state. Indeed the most interesting part is El-Gamal's discussion of political life under late president Sadat, the book ending with Sadat's assassination in 1981.

Negateef (Negative), Khaled El-Berri, Cairo: Miret for Publication and Information, 2004. pp257 Khaled El-Berri published his debut volume, Al-Dunya Ahla min Al-Ganna (Life is Prettier than Paradise) with the Lebanese publishing house Dar Al-Nihar two years ago. An exciting account of the author's experiences as a Jamaa Islamiya activist at Assyout University in Egypt in the 1990s and of his subsequent detention, the book scaled the lengths and breadths of the Islamist experience, revealing the kind of brainwashing to which Jamaa recruits are subjected and the socio-economics of their involvement with political Islam. In this, his first novel, El-Berri keeps up his reputation for honesty, devising a fictional world so like life that its characters and incidents almost jump out of the page. The book is a fictionalised account of the writer's sojourn in London, revolving around an erotic triangle formed by an Egyptian student, his professor and his professor's wife.The book is psychologically penetrating and historically pertinent, and it makes for exciting reading.

Un poete (Les Coptes dans la Hte Egypte) by Melle. Browne, 1874

In Praise of Books, Nelly Hanna, Cairo: The American University in Cairo Press, 2004. pp219 This book, by Nelly Hanna, chair of the Department of Arabic Studies at the American University in Cairo, is a major contribution to Egypt's cultural record. It reveals a lively middle class Egyptian culture during the first three centuries of Ottoman rule. In fine detail, the author explores economic influences on culture during periods of plenty and poverty. Drawing on both published and unpublished sources, Hanna unveils a full-fledged Cairene middle class culture that bridges the gap between the salons (majalis) of the elite and the common people.