Arabic Language Day: Books from Arabic literature that are a must-read

Arabic literature literary means etiquette and the literature vastly revolves around politeness, culture and enrichment. Arabic is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world and today, it celebrated as the World Arabic Language Day. There are many books in Arabic literature that are translated into English. Here on the occasion of World Arabic language day, here are 5 must-read Arabic books.

The Thief and The Dogs

The Thief and The Dogs is one of the Egyptian author Naguib Mahfouz's most celebrated works. He further developed his theme of existentialism using stream-of-consciousness and surrealist techniques. It charts the life of Said Mahran, a thief recently released from jail and intent on having his vengeance on the people who put him there. The novel was published in 1961, and Said's despair reflects disappointment in revolution and new order in Egypt—as Said is not only a thief but a kind of revolutionary anarchist. There were adaptations of the novel in movie and TV series.

Season of Migration to the North

Season of Migration to the North is a classic post-colonial Arabic novel by the Sudanese artist Tayeb Salih. The main concern of the novel is with the impact of British colonialism and European modernity on rural African societies in general and Sudanese culture and identity in particular. His novel reflects the conflicts of modern Sudan and depicts the brutal history of European colonialism as shaping the reality of contemporary Sudanese society. Damascus-based Arab Literary Academy named it one of the best novels in Arabic of the twentieth century. It has been translated into twenty different languages.

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Arabian Love poems

This translation of Nizar Kabbani’s poetry is accompanied by the Arabic texts of the poems. Kabbani’s writing embodies a direct, spontaneous, musical use of the language of everyday life. He was a campaigner for women’s rights, and his verses praise the beauty of the female body and love.

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In the Country of Men

In the Country of Men is the debut novel of Libyan writer Hisham Matar, first published in 2006 by Viking, an imprint of Penguin Books. It was nominated for the 2006 Man Booker Prize and the Guardian First Book Award. It has so far been translated into 22 languages and was awarded the 2007 Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Prize as well as a host of international literary prizes. The book was also nominated for the 2007 National Book Critics Circle Award in the U.S. and won the Arab American Book Award in 2007.

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Women of sand and myrrh

Women of Sand and Myrrh is a novel written by Hanan al-Shaykh. It was originally published in 1989 as Misk al-ghazal and was published in English in 1992. The English translator is Catherine Cobham. Publishers Weekly chose Women of Sand and Myrrh as one of the 50 best books of 1992. The story is based in a relatively modern society in the Middle East. Rather than having strong ties into the pre-20th century the Middle East, it is representative of life in some of the more fundamentalist societies within the last few decades.

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