Fusul fi al-Thaqafa wa al-Adab
- Author died
- 1420 AH
- Editions
- Dar Al-Manarah للنشر والتوزيع
Fusul fi al-Thaqafa wa al-Adab (Chapters on Culture and Literature) is a posthumous collection of literary, linguistic, and cultural essays by the Syrian writer and scholar Ali al-Tantawi (1327–1420 AH / 1909–1999 CE).
Compilation and Publication
The collection was assembled, edited, and arranged by the author's grandson, Mujahid Mamun Dayraniyya, and published by Dar al-Manara in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with its first edition appearing in Ramadan 1428 AH (2007 CE). The volume forms part of a broader posthumous initiative to edit and categorize al-Tantawi's unpublished papers, articles, and broadcast lectures following the publication of Nur wa Hidaya in 2006.
To recover uncollected or fragmentary pieces referenced in al-Tantawi's drafts, the editor consulted the periodicals archive at the central library of King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah. The preparation of the work required extensive verification and vocalization (tashkīl) of classical poetry, rare vocabulary, historical names, and places, drawing upon classical biographical dictionaries, historical sources, and poetic divans.
Contents and Structure
The book gathers essays, articles, and spoken lectures produced over several decades, spanning the 1930s through the 1980s, including contributions originally published in historical periodicals, pieces from his late series Suwar wa Khawatir in the newspaper al-Sharq al-Awsat, and previously unpublished manuscripts.
The material is structured thematically and arranged on a gradient from lighter, narrative reflections to denser, specialized literary and linguistic discussions. Its subjects encompass Arabic literary criticism, commentary on classical poetry and poets, reflections on language, cultural memory, and social and intellectual critiques.
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