Book Features

• "A great man who occupies the pinnacle of our modern Arabic literature." - Sheikh Abdullah Al-Alayli
• "Raif Khoury is an enlightening and encyclopedic intellectual par excellence..." - Al-Hayat Newspaper

Synopsis

Raif Khoury divides the study of literature into two main sections: the first concerns the study of literary works in terms of their structures and meanings, or what is called "literary criticism," and the second their study as products of individuals and eras, or what is called "the history of literature." The author addresses these two aspects of literary study in two separate chapters. In the first, he discusses the foundations and principles of literary criticism, such as structure, methods of delivery, meanings, genres, and styles. In the second chapter, he addresses the deficiencies in literary history, suggesting how it should be organized, and provides three studies as examples. These studies discuss the life of Tarafa ibn al-Abd, an aspect of the personality of Al-Sahib ibn Abbad as described by Abu Hayyan al-Tawhidi, and glimpses into the history of Andalusian poetry. He dedicates a third chapter to the arts of literary study, defining them and providing examples, covering the poetry of Al-Mutanabbi, Al-Buhturi, Abu Tammam, Abu Nuwas, and others, in addition to examples from prose, such as a comparison between Ibn al-Muqaffa' and al-Jahiz in their books 'Kalila wa Dimna' and 'Al-Hayawan'.

About the Author

Raif Khoury (1913-1967) was a Lebanese thinker, writer, and critic. He participated in preparing and formulating the demands of the Great Strike of 1936 in Palestine and defended its cause in the speech he delivered as the representative of Arab youth at the Second World Youth Congress in New York in 1938. In 1940, he co-founded the "League Against Nazism and Fascism" and its magazine, "Al-Tariq" (1941). In 1941, he published six issues of the newspaper "Al-Difa'" before it was shut down by the Vichy administration. He was a key figure in the success of the First Conference of Arab Writers, held in Lebanon at the invitation of the "Ahl al-Qalam" (People of the Pen) society in 1954.

• Publishing House: Dar Al Saqi for Publishing and Distribution
• Number of Pages: 160
• Year of publication: 2013
• ISBN: 9786144257333