Trenchant and witty critiques of life in Cairo under British rule

What s ibn Hishm Told Usis a masterpiece of early twentieth-century Arabic prose. Penned by the Egyptian journalist Muammad al-Muwayli, this highly original work was first introduced in serialized form in his familys pioneering newspaperMib al-Sharq (Light of the East) and later published in book form in 1907. Widely hailed for its erudition and mordant wit,What s ibn Hishm Told Us was embraced by Egypts burgeoning reading public and soon became required reading for generations of school students.

Bridging classical genres and modern Arabic fiction, What s ibn Hishm Told Usis divided into two parts. Sarcastic in tone and critical in outlook, the first part of the book relates the excursions of its narrator, s ibn Hishm, and his companion, the Pasha, through a rapidly westernizing Cairo and provides vivid commentary on a society negotiatinghowever imperfectlythe clash between traditional norms and imported cultural values. The second half takes the narrator to Paris to visit the Exposition Universelle of 1900, where al-Muwaylihi casts a critical eye on European society, modernity, and the role of Western imperialism as it ripples across the globe.

Paving the way for the modern Arabic novel,Whats ibn Hishm Told Us is invaluable both for its insight into colonial Egypt and its pioneering role in Arabic literary history.

An English-only edition.

Muhammad al-Muwaylihi (Author)
Muammad al-Muwayli(1274-1348/1858-1930) was an Egyptian writer and political journalist, a career that he shared with his prominent father, Ibrhm al-Muwayli, with whom he also published the reputable and incisive newspaper Mib al-Sharq(Light of the East). Other notable works includeCritique of Shawqs Collected PoemsandCure for the Soul.

Maria Golia (Foreword by)
Maria Golia is a Cairo-based journalist and the author of Cairo: City of Sand and Photography and Egypt.

Roger Allen (Translator)
Roger Allenretired in 2011 from his position as the Sascha Jane Patterson Harvie Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, where he served for forty-three years as Professor of Arabic and Comparative Literature. He is the author and translator of numerous publications on Arabic literature, modern fiction and drama, and language pedagogy.