Customer Reviews

Anthology of Arabic Literature, Culture, and Thought from Pre-Islamic Times to the Present

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This ingenious anthology includes some of the greatest works of Arabic literature from pre-Islamic poet Imru' al-Qays to 20th century legend Nizar Qabbani.

All the texts include very useful vocabulary lists with idioms and expressions perfectly translated into English. Another special feature of the book is an audio CD with crystal clear sound and the voice of Bassam Frangieh smoothly reading selected texts.

The Arabic script is written in large, readable font throughout the book. This anthology also contains a few intriguing illustrations, a thorough glossary and a brief Literary History of the Arabs. Bassam Frangieh has truly done it all!

I recommend this book for all students and scholars who want to improve their Arabic skills, while reading some of the most fascinating literature ever written.

Bravo to Bassam Frangieh! Simply a beautiful book.

Dr. Bassam Frangieh's Anthology of Arabic Literature, Culture, and Thought is an indispensable tool for the advanced student of Arabic. Since the advanced student expects to be able to converse with educated Arabs, he or she must be familiar with all the great names of classical Arabic literature and, with very few exceptions, the names with representative texts are all here: Imru' al-Qays, Ibn al-Muqaffa (whose "Kalila wa Dimna" is a brilliant marriage of Machiavelli's "The Prince" and "Aesop's Fables"), Al-Jahiz, Ibn Jinni, Abu Nuwas, Al-Mutanabbi, Ibn Rushd, Ibn Sina, Al-Hallaj, al-Ghazali, Ibn Taymiyya, and Ibn Khaldun. More importantly, Dr. Frangieh has devoted almost half of the book to modern Arab poets, novelists, and critics. Any student conditioned to seeing the Arab-Islamic world through the lens of 9-11 and the issues of radical or political Islam will find enlightening and refreshing the selections by Adonis, Hisham Shirabi, Sadiq Jalal al-`Azm and their respective secular critiques of Arab society. Mahmud Amin al'Alim's "The Arabic Novel" and Idwar Kharrat's "Three Faces of Ghalib Halasah" will provide the student whose native language is English with exemplary models of the modern, expository styles of Arabic expression. Perhaps the most rewarding aspect of this collection is the heightened sense the student gains of the expressive and metaphorical potential of Arabic. For the student accustomed to associating the "poetic" in Arabic with the rich and florid classical style, Nizar Qabbani's "Arabian Love Poems" will introduce the student to the poet's modern metaphorical style that in a sense recaptured the secret of Abu Nuwas-that metaphysical and abstract truths are best expressed through creative juxtapositions of the immediate and sensible. All the selections in Dr. Frangieh's anthology are no more than 4-5 pages, easily readable in an evening's study, and will send the reader running to find the originals.

If I could give this book more than five stars, I would! After dealing with the pain of Al-Kitaab for years, I was relieved when I began studying out of this book. All of the major authors in the Arab world are featured inside: Nizar Qabbani, Mahmoud Darwish, Imru al-Quais, Ibn Khaldoun, etc. It is perfect for the upper-intermediate/advanced Arabic student.

This is a solid, serious anthology of Arabic literature for advanced students and other intellectuals. The choice of authors and texts is excellent, as is the organized layout of the entire book. No detail has been spared in this authoritative and engrossing collection of Arabic texts.

The CD presents a scholarly reading of Arabic poetry, filled with musicality and artistic sense. Frangieh's reading captures the unique power of Arabic verse; each selection flows like a river of eloquent language.

Highly recommended!

To a student who has used in one form or another the Elementary Modern Standard Arabic book for more than 2 years, and who appreciates its usefulness as a grammar book, it simply cannot rival Frangieh's new book in terms of sheer challenge and enjoyment. Frangieh seeks to inform the reader not only of the language, but of literary works that have been pivotal in Arab culture. The works chosen span an inredible range in time and style, include the modern novel, as well as pre-Islamic poetry, and energize the reader with its invitation to discover the deftness and clarity of some of the language's most accomplished authors.

This book is exactly how I rated it, 5 stars. For a student studying Arabic, it's the best way to expand your vocabulary. All of the literature in the book is in Arabic with a glossary after the passage to help the student learn new words.

As for the diverse material covered in the Anthology, it has everything from Jahilliya love poetry to the Prophet's (pbuh) last sermon to certain excerpts from Andalusian and Medieval Sufis such as Ibn Rushd and Hallaj. It even covers some stories from Kalila wa Dimna.

The attached CD with the book is awesome as you can read along with the speaker to learn the proper pronounciation and rhythym of certain poetry. If you are tired of reading the same old Al-Kitaab part I/II/or III and you want to finally test and use your Arabic skills, get this book.

An awesome buy and highly recommended!!

This is the book that I was waiting for. This is the right book for the Advanced students of Arabic. It covers all Arabic writings in all ages, all genres, all time.. This is an amazing book. It comes with a beautiful reading. The voice of the author in the audio CD is very, very sexy. This is a real man's voice. I cannot stop myself from listening to it!!

This book is one of the best resources for a broad overview of Arabic literature. With numerous excerpts from many time periods and styles, it provides a tour-de-Arabic over time and geography that I have yet to see in any other collection written for an English speaking Arabic learner. As an intermediate Arabic student, I've been searching for a resource like this. I am not able to read/select individual texts due to both time and knowledge constraints. This book provides well chosen excerpts from well know authors, is in an easily readable script, has an excellent glossary with each chapter and recording of a few of the pieces (particularly the poetry. My only wish is that there was a recording of all the pieces, but I realize that is easily beyond any reasonable expectation, but hey - I can hope! My Palestinian language teacher is also very impressed by the selection, layout and breadth covered.

Bassam Frangieh clearly has a passion for Arabic literature. The work he put into this compilation is evidenced in his thorough footnotes, explanations, and most importantly his selection of texts. Having approached this textbook as a third year Arabic student, I was shocked by the accessibility of the texts. Everyone had always told me it takes six years before a student can thoroughly understand Arabic literature. I see the logic behind that - even the most accomplished Arabic scholars debate the meanings of some works in context, similar to Shakespeare - but as long as you grasp the fundamentals of Arabic grammar and have your Hans Weir close at hand, these selections will astonish you. I highly recommend this book even to intermediate Arabic scholars. It will bring you several steps closer to a nuanced appreciation of Arab culture and society.