The Voice of Abu Al-Ala - Taha Hussein

This book is not solely the voice of Abul-Alaa; rather, it is a boisterous musical embrace of two unique voices in Arabic literature: the voice of the poet, or rather its echo, which has preserved its strength, vigor, and rebelliousness despite the passage of time, until the voice of Taha Hussein arrived to join him in playing on the strings of truth, reality, and philosophy. This time, however, the instrument is prose; the Dean scatters what Al-Ma'arri composed, and the two giants meet, despite the temporal distance between them, in a stunning creative crucible where imagination flourishes, and an unconventional image of the self and human consciousness is imprinted. The Dean of Arabic literature aimed, through this unprecedented approach, to bring Abul-Alaa's art closer to both the elite and general readers, and to present an accessible reading of Al-Ma'arri's "Luzumiyat," without being intimidated by the high tide of pessimism in his poems. Instead, he sees it as essential for self-reform and for encouraging a more refined future.