The evolution of modern Arabic novel and short story from the 18th century to present were discussed in detail at the international seminar organised by the Postgraduate and Research Department of Arabic, Jamal Mohamed College.
Sixty five papers (out of 105 received) were presented at the two-day event, which had invitees from Bangladesh, Kerala, Hyderabad, and Malaysia, and resource persons from universities across the nation in attendance.
In the inaugural address, Dr. Mohammed Nazmul Hoque Nadwi, director, International Islamic University, Chittagong, Bangladesh, explained the predominance of the Koran and Islamic theological texts in Arabic literary expression.
Historically, much of classical Arabic literature is in the form of poetry. While Arabic fiction had its golden era in the 8th century, a new revival took place, especially after the translation of European works in the early 19th century, which modernised the writing style.
Arabic writing from Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, and Sudan was included in the seminar’s proceedings. At the technical sessions, the works of Arab authors such as Taha Hussain (1889-1973), Mustafa Lutfi al-Manfaluti (1876–1924), Ibrahim Abd al-Qadir al-Mazini (1889-1940), and Nobel laureate Naguib Mahfouz (1911-2006), were examined for their literary appeal and style.
Most works chosen were themed around humanitarian values and the lifestyle of the period being described. Extracts from select Arabic novels were read out in the sessions. S. Abdul Maliq, principal, New College, Chennai, appealed to the assembled scholars to popularise the learning of Arabic.
The proceedings of the seminar were launched as a publication by A.K. Khaja Nazeemudeen, secretary and correspondent of the college. The Tamil compilation Anbin Mozhi by A. Jahir Husain, assistant professor, Department of Arabic, Persian and Urdu, University of Madras, was released during the seminar which concluded on Wednesday.
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the management of the college and Khan Soft, Malaysia, to use the software designed by the latter in Arabic language-teaching.
