Research Guides: Arabic Resources: Literature

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Where to Find Arabic Literature in the Library

Arabic-language literature and translations into English, as well as criticism, analysis, etc. of Arabic literature, is all located in the call numbers PJ7501 - PJ8517.

Read Arabic Literature in Translation

SERIES: Modern Arabic Literature
Find more than 100 novels at SHSU from this series of modern Arabic literature in translation, published by The American University in Cairo Press.
SERIES: Middle East Literature in Translation
Find more than 30 novels at SHSU from this series, published by Syracuse University Press.
SERIES: Modern Middle East Literatures in Translation
SHSU owns ten titles from this series, published by the University of Texas at Austin, with more to come in the future.

Works by a Few Authors

Note: Authors are listed according to common Western spellings of their names. Their name is linked to a list of their books in the SHSU library.

You might be interested in referring to this list of "Modern Arab Writers" to find more names and search for them in our library catalog. Keep in mind that the spelling used in our catalog may vary from the spelling found online.

Biographical Information on Writers

Dictionary of Literary Biography Complete Online
Contemporary Authors Online
Gale Virtual Reference Library
Biography Index Past and Present
Encyclopedia of Arabic Literature
Call Number: PJ7510 .E53 1998 vol. 1-2, 2nd floor Reference area
Arab Women Writers: A Critical Reference Guide
Call Number: PJ7525.2 .D4313 2008, 2nd floor Reference area
20th Century Arabic Writers
Call Number: PS129 .D5 v.346, 2nd floor Reference area
Part of the Dictionary of Literary Biography
Arabic Literary Culture, 500-925
Call Number: PS129 .D5 V.311, 2nd floor Reference area
Part of the Dictionary of Literary Biography

Quick-Search: Find More Books on These Topics

We have a lot more than what you see on this page!

TIP: When searching for foreign-language book titles in the library catalog, do not include an article (such as "al," ال) which appears at the beginning of the title.

Search Literary Criticism and Analysis Online

You can search for and read thousands of journal articles, literary criticism essays, and information about authors and literature in these databases. Off-campus users will be asked to login with their SHSU username and password.

Literary Reference Center This link opens in a new window Information on thousands of authors and their works across literary disciplines and timeframes. Contains thousands of plot summaries, synopses, work overviews, literary criticism articles/essays, author biographies and interviews, literary journals, book reviews, classic and contemporary poems and short stories, classic texts, and much more. Also includes a wide range of leading encyclopedias and other works in literary studies.
Literature Criticism Online This link opens in a new window Centuries of literary analysis, including scholarly and popular commentary from broadsheets, pamphlets, encyclopedias, books and periodicals.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window Huge collection of full-text articles in back issues of journals in most subject areas. Review dates and journals included by subject and alphabetically.

SciELO - Open-access Literature and Arts Journals from Spain and Latin America

Find even more databases for literary studies...

Other Books on Arabic Literature

The Experimental Arabic Novel
Call Number: PJ7577 .M49 2001, 3rd floor
Traces the development of the modern Arabic novel from the 1960s to the present.
The Edinburgh Companion to the Arab Novel in English
Call Number: PR1286 .A73 E35 2013, 3rd floor
A Short History of Modern Arabic Literature
Call Number: PJ7538 .B265 1993, 3rd floor
"This is a concise and authoritative survey of the whole of modern Arabic literature since the mid-19th century with a view to helping the general reader as well as the student to form a clear picture of the literary achievements of the modern Arabs."
A Brief Introduction to Modern Arabic Literature
Call Number: PJ7538 .T74 2008, 3rd floor
"This short book offers a unique overview of modern Arabic literature, focusing on developments over the last fifty years and providing a guide to the literary landscape, indicating the major landmarks in the shape of authors, ideas, and debates."
Arabic Literature: Postmodern Perspectives
Call Number: PJ7538 .A7313 2010, 3rd floor
..."Introduces the work of twenty-nine pivotal authors from the Arab world writing in Arabic, English, French, and Hebrew. Organized around the central themes of memory, place, and gender, each of which is discussed in an introductory essay, the volume provides a critical framework for Arab writing, locating it alongside contemporary world literature. ... Authors covered include Adonis, Rabih Alameddine, Hoda Barakat, Tahar Ben Jelloun, Mahmoud Darwish, Assia Djebar, and Elias Khoury."
Exploring Arab Folk Literature
Call Number: GR268 .A73 C33 2011, 4th floor
"The character and range of Arab folk literature are investigated by Pierre Cachia in this collection of his essays in the field he has pioneered. ... This book represents an insightful contribution to our understanding of Arab folk literature and will be of relevance to anyone with an interest in Arab literary creativity."
Modern Arabic Literature
Call Number: PJ7538 .M58 2006, 3rd floor
"First authoritative, comprehensive, critical survey of creative writing in Arabic from the mid-nineteenth century to the present day."
Islam on the Street: Religion in Modern Arabic Literature
Call Number: PJ7519 .I84 M87 2009, 3rd floor
"Islam on the Street deals with the popular side of Islam, as described not only in tracts and manuals written by Sufi shaykhs and Islamist thinkers from among the more militant groups in Islam, but also in writings by other, more secular thinkers who have also influenced public opinion. ... Readers interested in the influence of religion and secularism within modern Islamic Arabic literature will find that the author addresses the presence of Islam and Sufism in ways that secular commentators have been incapable of doing."