Nashat al-Nathr al-Hadith wa Tatawwuruh
- Author died
- 1412 AH
- Editions
- Dar Al-Fikr Al-Arabi
Nashat al-Nathr al-Hadith wa Tatawwuruh (The Emergence and Development of Modern Prose) is a critical study and literary history of modern Arabic prose by the Egyptian literary historian Omar al-Desouqi (d. 1412 AH / 1991 CE) .
Background and Purpose
The book originated from a series of lectures delivered by al-Desouqi upon an invitation from the Institute of Arab Studies (معهد البحوث والدراسات العربية) . In the introduction, the author noted that while modern Arabic poetry had garnered considerable attention from researchers and critics, modern prose had not received comparable treatment . He composed the study to establish a foundational inquiry into the development of Arabic prose over the preceding century and a half, documenting how the language moved away from earlier stylistic rigidity to engage with modern civilization and Western cultural currents . Due to time constraints within the lecture series, al-Desouqi concluded the study around the generation of Mustafa Lutfi al-Manfaluti, presenting the text as an introductory stage to be followed by further research on later twentieth-century prose figures .
Structure and Scope
The study traces prose literature across Egypt, Iraq, and the Levant (al-Sham) . Its principal sections include:
- Historical Background and the Revival: A preface exploring the impact of the French expedition on Egypt, the reforms of Muhammad Ali Pasha, the founding of the Bulaq Press, educational missions, and the translation movement, alongside the early literary stirrings in the Levant and Iraq, featuring figures such as Rifa'a al-Tahtawi, Mahmud al-Alusi, Nasif al-Yaziji, and Butrus al-Bustani .
- Journalism and the Essay: The influence of early periodicals such as al-Waqa'i' al-Misriyya and al-Jawa'ib on modern prose style, followed by the circle of Jamal al-Din al-Afghani and the emergence of the analytical and political essay in the writings of Muhammad Abduh, Adib Ishaq, Ibrahim al-Laqqani, and Abdullah al-Nadim, as well as Levantine contributors like Ibrahim al-Yaziji and Najib al-Haddad .
- Epistolary Literature (Adab al-Rasa'il): An examination of personal and official correspondence as an evolving literary art, analyzing epistolary prose by Abdullah Fikri, Muhammad Abduh, Hamza Fathallah, Abd al-Karim Salman, Ahmad Miftah, Abd al-Aziz Jawish, and Hifni Nasif .
- Literary Books: Analyses of notable transitional prose works, including Ahmad Shawqi's Aswaq al-Dhahab, Muhammad al-Muwaylihi's Hadith Isa ibn Hisham, Hafiz Ibrahim's Layali Satih, and Muhammad Tawfiq al-Bakri's Saharij al-Lu'lu' .
- The Literary Essay and al-Manfaluti: A detailed study of Mustafa Lutfi al-Manfaluti, examining his rhetorical conception of eloquence (al-bayan), language, style, essays, letters, and social perspectives, concluding with the influence of foreign culture on the evolution of modern essay writing .
Publication
The book was printed in Cairo by publishers including Dar al-Fikr al-Arabi (1976 CE) .
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