The ending felt a little rushed, and was less coherent as a whole than the rest of the book, it made me wonder if the author had trouble bringing the novel to its conclusion, although that chaotic feeling it generated could also be said to fit with the events that were happening at the time, which were in disarray and dangerous. Latifa al-Zayyats acclaimed modern classic follows Layla through her sexual and political coming of age. Weapons, wea She stopped dead, her arm dropped to her side and the words stalled on her lips. She was Director of the Arts Academy and a member of the Supreme Council for Arts and Humanities, publishing many works on politics, literary criticism, as well as novels, short stories, memoir, and drama. Translated from the German by Ruth Martin, In April 2012, Tukish novelist and Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk opened a private museum "Masumiyet Muzesi" (The Museum of Innocence) in an old district of Istanbul, showcasing thousands of objects relating to the life of ordinary people in the Turkish metropolis. She used non-literary language not just in the books dialogue, but also in interior monologues and indirect speech.
It is heightened by the fear of how she will be perceived, judged, which in their course cause her to suppress her feelings and turn inward, when really she wants to be able to express herself or explode. A magazine of Arabic literature in translation. Yet pull back a little, and the books core obsessions remain as potent in 2017 as they were in 1960.
Only in her later creative phase, she writes, did she finally understand that free will must be constantly renewed. Something was willing her to join the current. In "El Bab El Maftuh", Latifa al-Zayyat took on the widespread misogyny in Egyptian society like no other writer before her. Instead, the Arabic book most commonly associated with Egyptian feminism is Nawal El Saadawis Hidden Face of Eve, a book that was, significantly, re-written for its English translation to contain less anti-imperialism and more anti-FGM. The resolution of this volatile mix lies in a violent confrontation between repulsion and desire. If everyone said whatever was on their the mind, the world would have gone up in flames long ago., Or whatever they feel thats what they should say., Whatever they feel! Ill carry a gun, I really will, and Ill shoot them all. Featured poetry, fiction, and essays from ArabLit Quarterly. I hope it gets more widely read and discussed, particularly given the continued struggle that exists everywhere today and to get an inside view from within another culture, to see and understand the universality of these themes. Call it anything you want, but not love.. When Laila asks why she should marry the autocratic Professor Ramzi, he simply replies: because you obey! One has to make people feel good. But when the waves cast up a chest that speaks in a language no one can comprehend, Gomaa is haunted by its voice. Areview by ArabLits MLQ that ran on Bookwitty earlier this yearlooks atThe Open Doorsreception in Egypt. The novel criticised the way women had to behave and dress, without attracting the slightest attention to themselves; the self-hatred with which the protagonist Laila grows up because she is a girl; and the social barriers that are placed in front of young women in the name of tradition and morality. Books tell women they are free, and yet if a woman really believes that, a catastrophe will happen and her reputation will be blackened.. %PDF-1.5 Sounds a fascinating read. You might not see how everything threads together as you read along, but when you look back from the end of the story, the map becomes clear., The Open Door by Latifa Al-Zayyat tr. stream In its time, al-Zayyats literary debut was under-celebrated. An accomplished experiment in the poetics of space, Clamor of the Lake won the 1995 Cairo International Book Fair Award for Best Novel of the Year. If a reader puts their nose right up against the glass, peering in at the lives of Cairos European-aspiring bourgeoisie of the 1940s and 1950s, then things have indeed changed. Lobby Forum.. Talks with authors, translators, publishers, & more. By Sherif Abdel Samad, The political activist, feminist and author Latifa al-Zayyat (1923-1996) worked as professor at the Ain Shams University and as director of the Egyptian Academy of Arts. Thank you so much for commenting and sharing that line that won you over! Could there be any doubt? laughed Isam, as Layla rose to her full height quickly and wheeled around to go out, with the measured bounce of the demonstrators, waving her right hand up and down, intoning, Weapons, weapons, we want weapons. The justification? This has not aged well. Dalal and her neighbors try to maintain normal lives, despite the crippling effect of bombings and international sanctions resulting from the first Gulf War. The novel criticised the way women had to behave and dress, without attracting the slightest attention to themselves; the self-hatred with which the protagonist Laila grows up because she is a girl; and the social barriers that are placed in front of young women in the name of tradition and morality.. Press Enter / Return to begin your search. Her literary legacy is important in light of the tireless campaigning she was so active in, that in part perhaps paved the way for those following in her footsteps. Upstairs, the fortune-teller Umm Mazin offers her customers cures for their physical and romantic ailments; below, Saad the hairdresser attends to a dwindling number of female customers; and on the second floor, the nurse Ilham dreams of her long-lost French mother to escape the grim realities she sees in the childrens ward at the hospital. Her reputation as a feminist writer was sealed by the film version of the novel, starring the legendary actress Faten Hamama (at the time, the wife of Omar Sharif). This wasnt because other writers didnt recognize her novels worth. What next for the birthplace of the Arab Spring? Your review had already convinced me, but even if it hadnt, that final quote is just stunning.
This is definitely my kind of book. The Open Doors initial English release didnt reach a wide audience. Check out the awesome Cairo city guides on our sister website http://cairopulse.net to know where to go, what to do, and what's new in town! Laylas journey is far from an outdated one, her experiences, heart-wrenching disappointments, love, betrayal, and political persona, all come together to create one of the most complex and profound works of contemporary feminist literature.
Eventually, they too will be haunted by the siren song of the lake. She constructed a shell of emotional serenity from her certainty that she was acting correctly, that she was perfectly self-sufficient, and that no one could harm her or cause her pain. Yet something in her mind pulled her back, enveloped her to imprison her on shore. Resources for translators working between Arabic and English. <> Her rebellious spirit seeks to free itself from the stifling social codes that dictate a young womans life, just as Egypt struggles to shake off the yoke of imperialist rule. While its not an overly politically involved novel, the history of the nation over a ten year period, deftly matches the progress of the young woman as she tries to forge a path for herself, realising how tied to social codes she is, both complies and considers busting out of those expectations, to live life more on her own terms. His father could be a father of any era: Why my son? <> And the romantic and nationalistic undertone of al-Zayyats avant-garde novel fits with the pan-Arabian ideal that dominated at the time. In a world of superficiality, materialism, violence, and sexual hysteria seen through the unforgiving lens of his camera, Nasirs life is in limbo. There she existed, fortifying herself against life, so fearful; and suppressing all the well-springs of spontaneity and lively inquisitiveness that were in her nature. I hope youll read this and share your thoughts too. Now, seventeen years later, its been re-issued in a new paperback edition from Hoopoe Fiction. In essence, the book asks: Is it possible to do the right thing by oneself, and ones community, when its so easy to please others? Obituary: Fatima Mernissi: Icon of Arab feminism. <>>> Layla paused on the bank, observing lifes current as it pushed forward, and something in her heart rebelled. 3 0 obj 1 0 obj In this essay, renowned Lebanese journalist and writer Hazem Saghieh asks whether the Arab Levant, which stretches from Iraq in the East to Egypt in the West, will remain an By 2050, the Middle East and North Africa could be dealing with many more elderly people suffering from dementia. Her dilemma is adeptly encapsulated in the quote below: On this solid foundation she stood, after her experience with Isam, and within the bounds of those rules. In Mohamed El-Bisaties lyrical novel, the stories of these various figures converge on the mercurial presence of the lake, which in the end proves the narratives true hero. Then Husayn passed through her existence and a vibrant current touched her, setting off the sort of animated reactions that anyone who followed the rules and was clever at reckoning consequences would hardly dream of. RIF Trust Expands To The MENA Region For Residency and Citizenship, VictoryLink Organizes Initiative to Support Egypts Contemporary Women, Do Your Beach Style Shopping For Summer 2022, Summer Travel Options For Those looking To Travel Without A Visa. 5 Beach Mood Summer Reads You Have to Pick Up Today, Leena Pekkalainen: Passing on her Passion for Ancient Egypt to Children, Diwan Bookstore's January Recommendations, Author Ronnie Explores Cairos Ultras in his New Book. The Open Door was belatedly given the inaugural Naguib Mahfouz Prize in 1996, just a few months after al-Zayyat died of cancer. The review ends with a pitch for readingThe Open Doorin 2017: In 2017, The Open Door still makes a thrilling romantic read about finding a feminist lover in an anti-feminist world, while also asking: How does one find the rediscover ones authentic childhood self as an adult? Reviews of Arabic literature and Arabic literature in translation. When I get bigger Ill show those Englishmen! With memories of happier times during the Days of Plenty of her childhood, Dalal falls in love for the first time against a background of surprise arrests, personal betrayals, and a crumbling social fabric that turns neighbors into informants. All-female madrassas: Of women, by women and for women, Saudi prince unveils mirrored skyscraper eco-city, Blinken non-committal as slain Palestinian journalist's family seeks US probe, Saudi crown prince: First EU visit since Khashoggi killing, Myanmar junta executes two pro-democracy rivals, Orhan Pamuk's Museum of Innocence: thousands of significant, insignificant objects. Thx for this reading tip. discerning audience on the west side of town with information on real estate, cuisine, Hoopoe Fiction has an excerpt from the novel on their website. by Ann GoldsteinNeapolitan Tetralogy Book1, Fresh Water for Flowers by Valrie Perrin tr.Hildegarde Serle, A Sister's Story by Donatella Di Pietrantonio tr.
For the first time since 1989, Algerias authoritarian regime has sent a military parade marching through Algiers. Al-Zayyat was arrested for the first time, along with her first husband, in 1949. Like so many Egyptian writers of the Nasser era, who were unable to articulate their thoughts freely, al-Zayyats prose becomes caught up in a repetitive, flowery and sometimes muddled language, which seems immature and fails to reflect the social contexts of the time convincingly.
Change). Her novel won the Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature and she was awarded an International Award of Recognition in Literature in 1996 shortly before death that same year. Yet Al-Zayyats linguistic and stylistic innovations, her explorations of toxic masculinity and collective-resistance feminism, remain vivid and relatable. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website.
Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Its a novel about Layla, her brother Mahmoud, their friends, parents and the Aunt and cousins living upstairs, all of whom have differing opinions and ways of dealing with life, their beliefs on how it should be lived and how one should behave, that make it a riveting read and insight into the debates this novel provoked at the time it was first published. It seems timely to revisit this, or to read it for the first time, as will likely be the case for many. The entire contents of this website can not be copied, reproduced, or distributed in whole or in part without the written approval of Cairo West Publications. By Changiz M. Varzi, Her book "Al-Bab al-Maftooh" (The Open Door), published in 1960, made Latifa al-Zayyat famous overnight. 'LOv^*[eaAz|@Li-H.a This year, Hoopoe Fiction re-released Latifa al-Zayyats classic feminist novelThe Open Door,in Marilyn Booths compelling translation. By and large, parents dont arrange the marriages of their university-age daughters without their knowledge or consent. After neer-do-wells spread rumors about a widowed mothers weak moral character among the people of a slum on the outskirts of Tunis that festers with migrants who have come to the metropolis from the heartland in search of a better life, her twenty-year-old son takes matters into his own hands and commits an unspeakable crime.
This adds to the novels intrigue, there is an undercurrent of concern on the part of the reader for Laylas future welfare, making the book compelling reading, for she doesnt make decisions the way one might expect. Yet as her relationship with Isam develops, Laylas judgment is clouded. While he gives away nothing about his past, his undemanding companionship prompts the woman to narrate her turbulent life. Al-Zayyats questions are our questions: How do we write ordinary womens lives into history? Claire! When I grow up.. HassounaMosbahi Translated byMaxWeiss 10.99 Buy Now. The men in her life symbolise different models of those options, and they too make choices that will have far reaching consequences, whether they meet societal expectations or choose a path true to their hearts. But in the end, Laila does manage to free herself from the yoke of her tyrannical father and society as a whole, by taking up arms and fighting the English alongside the Egyptian rebels in Port Said. For Women in Translation Month, ArabLit revisits the 1960 novel: The feminist novel remains not just relevant but prescient, giving us a glimpse of a possible shared feminist future. Al-Zayyat tackled a timeless hot topic that continues to regenerate itself among Arab women. The Open Door is not an ignorance-to-knowledge coming-of-age story. Indeed, The Open Door was put forward for a major literary prize. by Bruce D. Perry, OprahWinfrey, I Will Die In A Foreign Land by KalaniPickhart, The International Booker Prize Longlist2022, My Brilliant Friend, Elena Ferrante tr. (LogOut/ The emancipatory picture of women drawn by al-Zayyat in 1960 undoubtedly corresponded to the then-President Gamal Abdel Nassers secularist and autocratic understanding of politics. Your father works to the bone and sweats and perseveres so that your Excellency can become a full human being.. sports, entertainment, travel and lifestyle, local businesses and schools, in addition to Must-read Classics by Women: Latifa al-Zayyats The Open Door, re-released Latifa al-Zayyats classic feminist novel, review by ArabLits MLQ that ran on Bookwitty earlier this year, 2012 staging at Egypts Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Featured poetry, fiction, and essays from, Zeina Hashem Beckin conversation with Hala Alyan, Adabiyat Book Club: Gate of the Sun by Elias Khoury. Founded in early 2010, Cairo West Magazine was created to serve the prestigious and Im glad The Open Door was brought back into publication, it was a landmark work in womans writing in Arabic when it was first published in 1960, an important commentary on the challenges women and girls in so many societies face, a consequence of patriarchy; an effect that is being busted wide open today, forcing transparency, offering support, healing and with hope, gradual change in many countries today.