Modern Arab American fiction : a reader's guide / Steven Salaita.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Salaita, Steven, 1975-

Series:

Arab American writing.

Arab American writing

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

American fiction--Arab American authors--History and criticism.

American fiction.

American fiction--20th century--History and criticism.

Arab Americans in literature.

Arabs in literature.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (165 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Syracuse, N.Y. : Syracuse University Press, 2011.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Within the spectrum of American literary traditions, Arab American literature is relatively new. Writing produced by Americans of Arab origin is mainly a product of the twentieth century and only started to flourish in the past thirty years. While this young but thriving literature varies widely in content and style, it emerges from a common community and within a specific historical, political, and cultural context. In Modern Arab American Fiction, Salaita maps out the landscape of this genre as he details rather than defines the last century of Arab American fiction. Exploring the works of such best-selling authors as Rabih Alameddine, Mohja Kahf, Laila Halaby, Diana Abu-Jaber, Alicia Erian, and Randa Jarrar, Salaita highlights the development of each author's writing and how each has influenced Arab American fiction. He examines common themes including the Israel-Palestine conflict, the Lebanese Civil War of 1975-90, the representation and practice of Islam in the United States, social issues such as gender and national identity in Arab cultures, and the various identities that come with being Arab American. Combining the accessibility of a primer with in-depth critical analysis, Modern Arab American Fiction is suitable for a broad audience, those unfamiliar with the subject area, as well as scholars of the literature.

Contents:

Introduction

Uses of the Lebanese Civil War in Arab American fiction: Etel Adnan, Rawi Hage, Patricia Sarrafian Ward

Exploring Islam(s) in America: Mohja Kahf

Sex, violence, and storytelling: Rabih Alameddine

The eternity of immigration: Arab American short story collections (Joseph Geha, Frances Khirallah Noble, Evelyn Shakir, Susan Muaddi Darraj)

Promised lands and unfulfilled promises: Laila Halaby

Crescent moons, jazz music, and feral ethnicity: Diana Abu-Jaber

From the Maghreb to the American mainstream: writers of North African origin (Anouar Majid, Laila Lalami, Samia Serageldin)

Potpourri: Alicia Erian, Randa Jarrar, Susan Abulhawa.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780815651048

081565104X

OCLC:

759158758