Tawfiq al-Hakim

The 1919 anti-colonial revolution is a key moment in modern Egyptian history and a historical reference point in Egyptian culture through the century. Dina Heshmat argues that literature and film have played a central role in the making of its memory. She highlights the processes of remembering and forgetting that have contributed to shaping a dominant imaginary about 1919 in Egypt, coined by successive political and cultural elites. As she seeks to understand how and why so many voices have been relegated to the margins, she reinserts elements of the different representations into the dominant narrative. This opens up a new perspective on the legacy of 1919 in Egypt, inviting readers to meet the marginalised voices of the revolution and to reconnect with its layered emotional fabric.

This paper is aimed to analyse time and space as the prominent themes of modern Arabic science fictionon the example of the novel “Voyage to Tomorrow” by Tawfiqal-Hakim. In this research a combination of two research methods - documentary analysis and literature review - was used. Documentary analysis involves obtaining data from about ten scientific articles  and  theses.  Documentary  analysis  was  used  to  obtain  general  data  about  the  subject  of  the  research.  Results  of  the research make it obvious that time travel is one ofthe most contagious ideas in science fiction.  In  modern society where time is a unit of value and instant gratification is prized, the idea of traveling through time appears more than ever in books, movies, and pop culture. Arabic science fiction writers try to incorporate the latest theories about the nature of the universe to give their stories greater realism. A pioneering figure of modern Arabic science fiction, Tawfiq al-Hakim, is thefocus of attention in the paper because of his evolutionary and panoramic view of history and time in his novel “Voyage to Tomorrow”. Qualitative methods, documentary and literary analyses used in the research allowed the author to come to the conclusion that the ideas of the novel approach nature as transformational, rather than static and unchanging, and time as directional, rather than cyclic. The paper also shows how different traditions were combined in the “Voyage to Tomorrow” reflecting peculiarities of modern Arabic science fiction.

This article presents a comparative reading of Egyptian playwright Tawfīq al-Ḥakīm's play Poet on the Moon (1972) and British science-fiction author H. G. Wells' novel The First Men in the Moon (1901). It reveals new insights on al-Ḥakīm's familiarity with Wells and examines his contribution to transnational drama through a discussion of his theater of the mind in the framework of his "intellectual popular non-realism." This article argues that both authors employ allegories of representation to question the limits of scientific knowledge and artistic expression, yet al-Ḥakīm asserts a transnational aesthetics inspired by Sufism to challenge colonial epistemologies. تقدم المقالة مقارنة ببن مسرحية شاعر على القمر (١٩٧٢) للكاتب المسرحي ﺍﻟﻤﺼﺮﻱ توفيق الحكيم ورواية أول رجال على سطح القمر (١٩٠١) لكاتب الخيال العلمي الإنجليزي ﻫ. ج. ويلز. تكشف المقالة أبعاداً جديدة عن إلمام الحكيم بأعمال ويلز، كما تتناول إسهاماته في مجال الدراما عبر -القومية من خلال تحليل مسرحه الذهني في إطار «اللاواقعية الشعبية الفكرية» . ترى المقالة أن كلا الكاتبين ﻳﺴﺘﺨﺪﻡ مجازات التمثيل لمساءلة حدود المعرفة العلمبة والإبداع الفني . ومع ذلك تتحدى جماليات الحكيم المتأثرة بالصوفية الأفكار الاستعمارية من منظور عبر-قومي .

"In the translator’s introduction, Radwan explains the importance of the timing of this publication, shedding light on this pioneering figure who predominantly contributed to Arabic literature through his novels, short stories, and plays... .” Even though al-Hakim’s book concerns the 1952 Revolution led by young army officers, it has equal relevance to other revolutions, such as the popular 1968 French revolt against De Gaulle’s regime, and the young Americans’ rejection of the Vietnam War. Al-Hakim’s uncanny abilities even extend to the foretelling of future youth-driven insurrections, such as the 2011 Revolution against the Mubarak regime, and the June 30, 2013 revolt against the Muslim Brotherhood regime." (From Dr. Nada Ramadan Elnahla's review essay "Tawfiq al-Hakim: Foretelling a Revolutionary Future" in Al Jadid Magazine, Vol. 19, No. 69, 2015). To Read the full article, click on the link below.
http://www.aljadid.com/content/tawfiq-al-hakim-foretelling-youth-revolution

The article suggests, that the religion worldview of the great Egyptian writer Tawfiq al-Hakim expressed in his novel “The Return of the Spirit” is based not only on Islam or the ancient Egyptian Paganism, but also on the Bible, in particular, on the Gospel of Luke. One of the underlying bases of novel is a motive of the parable Prodigal Son. In our opinion by means of biblical allusions and reminiscences author shows a path of a spiritual ascension, the moral improvement of the novel characters and their returning to God.
    As it is known Tawfiq al-Hakim makes clear, that prerequisite for the progress of modern Egyptian people is their connection with the past, with the ancient Egyptian culture, i.e. the independence of Egyptian people depends on the revival of the Spirit of Ancient Egypt.

Muchas lenguas se hablan en distintos países y regiones con variedades locales. ¿Cómo y cuánto influye esa diversidad en las maneras de traducir literatura y humanidades? ¿Qué aspectos lingüísticos, literarios, políticos y comerciales están involucrados en esa influencia? ¿En qué se asemeja y se diferencia lo que sucede en distintas lenguas con respecto a variedades locales y sus efectos en la traducción?

El objetivo de las Jornadas Internacionales de Traducción Comparada Variedades regionales en las lenguas de traducción fue abrir líneas para pensar, analizar e indagar con mayor profundidad sobre esas cuestiones, tanto dentro del castellano como por comparación con situaciones posiblemente análogas en otras lenguas, promoviendo un intercambio que expandiera las posibilidades de análisis en las distintas lenguas involucradas. Estas actas recogen la casi totalidad de las ponencias expuestas durante estas Jornadas, celebradas en Buenos Aires en septiembre de 2018.

Le società arabe moderne hanno visto partecipare attivamente ai loro cambiamenti narratori, drammaturghi e poeti. Il pensiero e le aspirazioni degli arabi nel farsi nazione sono stati veicolati da narrazioni che hanno descritto e rappresentato tanto le élite quanto le classi popolari, gli ambienti urbani o rurali. Sebbene spesso gli autori abbiano attinto a eventi e situazioni del presente o di un passato non lontano, sono state talvolta le epoche più remote a offrire materiale attraverso cui raffigurare l’individuo e il suo mondo, esprimendo concezioni della vita interiore e di quella civile. In una lunga serie di scambi e contaminazioni, temi elaborati dalle antiche civiltà sviluppatesi sulle sponde del Mar Mediterraneo e nei territori limitrofi hanno, infatti, reso possibile la formazione di un patrimonio culturale condiviso su più piani: intellettuale, estetico, morale e ideologico. Tratti del vivere sociale e individuale, manifestazioni materiali e spirituali di popolazioni diverse – dalla Mesopotamia al Vicino Oriente, all’Egitto faraonico e copto, alla Grecia, a Roma, a Bisanzio, alla civiltà arabo-islamica – si sono integrati per costituire un’eredità trasmessa anche alla cultura araba moderna. Gli echi di un passato storicamente documentato o mediato dalla letteratura scritta e dalla tradizione orale sono diventati motivi d’ispirazione nella creazione di nuovi racconti e nella riscrittura di antiche narrazioni. I miti, con e grazie al loro alto valore simbolico, hanno continuato a esercitare un proprio ruolo, esprimendo strutture fondamentali della psiche, dell’esperienza e del comportamento umano.

Si les écrits occidentaux sur l’Autre, Arabe ou Oriental, sont pléthoriques, qu’en est-il de ceux produits par le monde arabo-musulman ? De quels types de représentations l’Autre a-t-il fait l’objet dans les textes arabo-musulmans ? Enfin quelles sont en somme nos connaissances actuelles au sujet des représentations arabo-musulmanes de l’Autre ?
C’est à ces questions que tentent de répondre les différents articles qui composent cet ouvrage ; car à l’instar des autres cultures, celle du monde arabo-musulman, à travers ses hommes de lettres, ses historiens et ses artistes, a développé ses propres représentations de l’Autre. Cet Autre, selon les époques, l’espace géographique, les sensibilités, et le lieu d’où l’on parle, s’avère variable, incarnant tantôt une « altérité proche » tantôt une autre, foncièrement lointaine.
L’ ouvrage est organisé en trois parties :
Dans la première sont abordées des questions liées à l’altérité et ses représentations dans le monde arabo-musulman de manière générale. Certaines contributions s’attardent sur quelques notions et terminologies arabes qui ont servi et servent encore à appréhender l’Autre ; d’autres tentent de dévoiler les multiples regards portés sur
les autres, qu’ils soient des « Autres proches » à l’image des Berbères ou des chrétiens d’Orient ou des Autres lointains comme les Japonais.
La deuxième partie est consacrée à l’art et à la littérature d’expression arabe. Les contributeurs analysent, à partir du prisme de l’altérité, différentes œuvres modernes de quelques auteurs des plus marquants de la scène littéraire arabe (al-Ṭayib Ṣāliḥ, Hudā Barakāt, Tawfīq al-Ḥakīm…).
La troisième partie, quant à elle, permet de mettre en lumière d’autres sensibilités et d’autres manières d’aborder l’altérité dans le monde arabo-musulman car ce sont les oeuvres littéraires écrites par des écrivains arabes francophones (Fouad Laroui, Driss Chraïbi, Boualem Sansal) qui font l’objet d’analyses et d’investigations.

Legends are molded by societies and their details are constantly altered, evolving with their narrators and listeners. The Egyptian legend of Isis and Osiris is no different. In the article entitled “Isis and the Mutilation of a Nation’s Memory”, light will be shed on the original legend that emerged as early as the 5th dynasty, and the appearance of Isis in different Egyptian Literary works and media will be traced. In 1930, Tawfiq al-Hakim, and despite his being considered a misogynist, wrote Isis, a three-act play that contrasts Isis with the Greek Penelope. Loosely based on Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina, the 1960 Egyptian movie Nahr al-Hob (Rive of Love) draws heavily on Isis, however, instead of glorifying Isis’ role as wife like al-Hakim, the movie highlights her romantic side and how love is capable of regenerating life and conquering death. Another important stage in the employment of the legend of Isis and Osiris is represented by Nawal El Saadawi—the feminist writer, physician and activist—who has a series of thirty-one autobiographical short narratives published in 1999 under the title of A Daughter of Isis: The Early Life of Nawal El Saadawi. In her work, writing becomes her means to transcribe history, to retrieve memories and pay homage to her mother whom she believes is a true embodiment of the spirit of Isis. There is no doubt that the act of remembering is central to the cultural production of knowledge about the past, molding the individual’s self knowledge. Recalling memories is a public matter formed by social situations and political contentions, fusing the private and public spheres, and creating an alternative history.  This paper, therefore, takes an interdisciplinary approach that engages both feminism and cultural memory in an attempt to discover the mutilated image of the role played by Isis, showing how the remnants of her story are evidence against how autocratic, patriarchal societies manipulate their peoples’ memories.