From our contemporary literature

Author's name: Taha Hussein

Between the old and the new, between authenticity and modernity, critics seek and compare. Taha Hussein, the writer and critic who explored the most important heritage books, did not completely immerse himself in the past, which would have isolated him from his present. Rather, he was concerned with monitoring, evaluating, and assessing the modern literary movement. In the book before us, he offers distinguished critical reviews of several books written by his contemporaries, such as Muhammad Hussein Heikal and his story "Thus I Was Created," Naguib Mahfouz and his novel "Between the Two Palaces," Abdullah al-Faisal and his poetry collection "Inspiration of Deprivation," and Tharwat Abaza and his novel "Fugitive from the Days." The author also discusses literary and critical issues such as innovation in poetry, realism as a literary doctrine, the stagnation and renewal of language, and the evolution of literary taste. He also critiques the performance of the Arabic Language Academies.