Reuven Snir – författare

Baghdad: The City in Verse captures the essence of life lived in one of the world’s great enduring metropolises. In this unusual anthology, Reuven Snir offers original translations of more than 170 Arabic poems—most of them appearing for the first time in English—which represent a cross-section of genres and styles from the time of Baghdad’s founding in the eighth century to the present day. The diversity of the fabled city is reflected in the Bedouin, Muslim, Christian, Kurdish, and Jewish poets featured here, including writers of great renown and others whose work has survived but whose names are lost to history.Through the prism of these poems, readers glimpse many different Baghdads: the city built on ancient Sumerian ruins, the epicenter of Arab culture and Islam’s Golden Age under the enlightened rule of Harun al-Rashid, the bombed-out capital of Saddam Hussein’s fallen regime, the American occupation, and life in a new but unstable Iraq. With poets as our guides, we visit bazaars, gardens, wine parties, love scenes (worldly and mystical), brothels, prisons, and palaces. Startling contrasts emerge as the day-to-day cacophony of urban life is juxtaposed with eternal cycles of the Tigris, and hellish winds, mosquitoes, rain, floods, snow, and earthquakes are accompanied by somber reflections on invasions and other catastrophes.Documenting the city’s 1,250-year history, Baghdad: The City in Verse shows why poetry has been aptly called the public register of the Arabs.

Studies Arabic literary production from the point of view of commitment and hybridization and the interactions between themDiscusses the role of the 1948 Nakba in shaping Palestinian culture and literaturePresents the contribution of Ma?m?d Darw?sh in the process of Palestinian nation-buildingSheds light on the emergence of Palestinian theatrical movementProvocatively rereads the history of Jewish involvement in Arabic literatureLaments the demise of Arab-Jewish culture following the clash between Zionism and Arab national movementPart of a two-volume set, this volume examines the issues of commitment and hybridization in Arabic literature concentrating on Palestinian literature and Arab-Jewish culture and the interactions between them. Reuvin Snir studies the contribution of Palestinian literature and theatre to Palestinian nation-building, especially since the 1948 Nakba. Becoming an essential part of the vocabulary of Arab intellectuals and writers, since the 1950s commitment (iltiz?m) has been employed to indicate the necessity for a writer to convey a message rather than merely create an imaginative work for its own sake. As for hybridization, the author focuses on the role Jews have played in Arabic literature against the backdrop of their contribution to this literature since the pre-Islamic period, and in light of the gradual demise of Arab-Jewish culture in recent years. The blending of elements from different cultures is one of the major phenomena in Arabic literature, certainly in light of its relationship with Islam and its cultural heritage, which has been extending during the last one-and-half millennia.

Part of a two-volume set, this volume examines the issues of commitment and hybridization in Arabic literature concentrating on Palestinian literature and Arab-Jewish culture and the interactions between them. Reuvin Snir studies the contribution of Palestinian literature and theatre to Palestinian nation-building, especially since the 1948 Nakba. Becoming an essential part of the vocabulary of Arab intellectuals and writers, since the 1950s commitment (iltizām) has been employed to indicate the necessity for a writer to convey a message rather than merely create an imaginative work for its own sake. As for hybridization, the author focuses on the role Jews have played in Arabic literature against the backdrop of their contribution to this literature since the pre-Islamic period, and in light of the gradual demise of Arab-Jewish culture in recent years. The blending of elements from different cultures is one of the major phenomena in Arabic literature, certainly in light of its relationship with Islam and its cultural heritage, which has been extending during the last one-and-half millennia.

Studies Arabic literary production from the point of view of continuity and interference and the interactions between themDiscusses various topics related to the interaction between the old and the new such as world upside down, mystical tendency and science fictionExamines the way Arabic authors draw inspiration from their ancient cultural and literary heritageSheds light on the role of Kafka and Virginia Woolf and other major Western authors in Arabic literaturePresents the way through which science fiction has emerged in Arabic literary writingExplains the role of Arabic literature within world literatureVolume I examines the ways in which contemporary Arab authors communicate with two major sources of inspiration: the first, is the rich Arabic literary heritage whether it has been embodied in texts or concrete experiences, real or imaginary. The second are other cultures and literatures which have become sources for direct or indirect loans for Arabic literature. Both sources are essential for our understanding of the nature of contemporary Arabic literary works. The relationship between modern and medieval Arabic literature is indispensable; moreover, the literariness of any Arabic literary text cannot be isolated from the history of Arabic literature. Also, the role and function of Arabic literature, the nature of its literary criticism and scholarship, the relations between religious, political, and other activities within Arab culture and its literary production all may be modelled in Arab culture in relation to other culture or cultures.

Volume I examines the ways in which contemporary Arab authors communicate with two major sources of inspiration: the first, is the rich Arabic literary heritage whether it has been embodied in texts or concrete experiences, real or imaginary. The second are other cultures and literatures which have become sources for direct or indirect loans for Arabic literature. Both sources are essential for our understanding of the nature of contemporary Arabic literary works. The relationship between modern and medieval Arabic literature is indispensable; moreover, the literariness of any Arabic literary text cannot be isolated from the history of Arabic literature. Also, the role and function of Arabic literature, the nature of its literary criticism and scholarship, the relations between religious, political, and other activities within Arab culture and its literary production—all may be modelled in Arab culture in relation to other culture or cultures.

The study of Arabic literature is blossoming. This book provides a comprehensive theoretical framework to help research this highly prolific and diverse production of contemporary literary texts. Based on the achievements of historical poetics, in particular those of Russian formalism and its theoretical legacy, this framework offers flexible, transparent, and unbiased tools to understand the relevant contexts within the literary system. The aim is to enhance our understanding of Arabic literature, throw light on areas of literary production that traditionally have been neglected, and stimulate others to take up the fascinating challenge of mapping out and exploring them.

The study of Arabic literature is blossoming. This book provides a comprehensive theoretical framework to help research this highly prolific and diverse production of contemporary literary texts. Based on the achievements of historical poetics, in particular those of Russian formalism and its theoretical legacy, this framework offers flexible, transparent, and unbiased tools to understand the relevant contexts within the literary system. The aim is to enhance our understanding of Arabic literature, throw light on areas of literary production that traditionally have been neglected, and stimulate others to take up the fascinating challenge of mapping out and exploring them.

In Arab-Jewish Literature: The Birth and Demise of the Arabic Short Story, Reuven Snir offers an account of the emergence of the art of the Arabic short story among the Arabized Jews during the 1920s, especially in Iraq and Egypt, its development in the next two decades, until the emigration to Israel after 1948, and the efforts to continue the literary writing in Israeli society, the shift to Hebrew, and its current demise. The stories discussed in the book reflect the various stages of the development of Arab-Jewish identity during the twentieth century and are studied in the relevant updated theoretical and literary contexts. An anthology of sixteen translated stories is also included as an appendix to the book. "e;Highly recommended for academic libraries collecting in the areas of Arab-Jewish cultural history, diaspora and exile studies, and literary identity formations."e; - Dr. Yaffa Weisman, Los Angeles, in: Association of Jewish Libraries News and Reviews 1.2 (2019)