Izz al-Din Ismail
- Died
- 1428 AH
- Born in
- -
Izz al-Din Ismail (d. 1428 AH / 2007 CE) was an Egyptian literary scholar and critic known for his foundational studies in literary theory and modern Arabic poetry, notably al-Adab wa-Funūnuh ("Literature and Its Arts") and al-Shiʿr al-ʿArabī al-Muʿāṣir ("Contemporary Arabic Poetry") .
Scholarly Contribution and Critical Approach
Ismail was an active contributor to the modern critical and intellectual revival in the Arab world, authoring critical works that bridge theoretical frameworks with textual examination . In al-Adab wa-Funūnuh: Dirāsa wa-Naqd ("Literature and Its Arts: A Study and Critique"), first published in Cairo in 1955 CE, he addressed foundational principles of literary theory and critical analysis, examining various literary forms including poetry, narrative fiction, drama, biography, and the essay .
His critical scholarship also focused extensively on modernist trends in Arabic literature and psychological approaches to criticism . In al-Shiʿr al-ʿArabī al-Muʿāṣir: Qaḍāyāhu wa-Ẓawāhiruhu al-Fanniyya wa-l-Maʿnawiyya ("Contemporary Arabic Poetry: Its Issues and Its Artistic and Thematic Phenomena"), he provided wide-ranging analysis of the technical and thematic developments within contemporary Arabic verse . He also explored the intersection between psychology and creative writing in al-Tafsīr al-Nafsī li-l-Adab ("The Psychological Interpretation of Literature") . His critical writings frequently engaged with the ongoing debates in contemporary literary circles and periodicals .
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List of Works
al-Adab wa Fununuhu: Dirasa wa Naqd ("Literature and Its Arts: A Study and Critique") is a theoretical and critical study of Arabic literature and literary genres, first published in Cairo in 1955 CE. It was composed to combine theoretical discussions of literary theory and criticism with direct, practical analyses of texts, conveying foundational concepts of literary thought in an accessible manner.