Hamlet's Arab Journey: Shakespeare's Prince and Nasser's Ghost by Margaret Litvi

Description: Hamlet's Arab Journey by Margaret Litvin Traces the uses of "Hamlet" in Arabic theatre and political rhetoric, and asks how Shakespeares play developed into a musical with a happy ending in 1901 and grew to become the most obsessively quoted literary work in Arab politics today. This title identifies the French source of the earliest Arabic "Hamlet". FORMAT Hardcover LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description For the past five decades, Arab intellectuals have seen themselves in Shakespeares "Hamlet": their times "out of joint", their political hopes frustrated by a corrupt older generation. "Hamlets Arab Journey" traces the uses of "Hamlet" in Arabic theatre and political rhetoric, and asks how Shakespeares play developed into a musical with a happy ending in 1901 and grew to become the most obsessively quoted literary work in Arab politics today. Explaining the Arab "Hamlet" tradition, Margaret Litvin also illuminates the "to be or not to be" politics that have turned Shakespeares tragedy into the essential Arab political text, cited by Arab liberals, nationalists, and Islamists alike. On the Arab stage, Hamlet has been an operetta hero, a firebrand revolutionary, and a muzzled dissident. Analyzing productions from Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, and Kuwait, Litvin follows the distinct phases of Hamlets naturalization as an Arab. Her fine-grained theatre history uses personal interviews as well as scripts and videos, reviews, and detailed comparisons with French and Russian Hamlets. The result shows Arab theatre in a new light.Litvin identifies the French source of the earliest Arabic "Hamlet", shows the outsize influence of Soviet and East European Shakespeare, and explores the deep cultural link between Egypts Gamal Abdel Nasser and the ghost of Hamlets father. Documenting how global sources and models helped nurture a distinct Arab "Hamlet" tradition, "Hamlets Arab Journey" represents a new approach to the study of international Shakespeare appropriation. Back Cover "A fascinating look at how one of the Western worlds most iconic literary characters has been appropriated by Arabs as a symbol of secularism, nationalism, or Islamism, depending on the prevailing political mood. Hamlets Arab Journey is not just a brilliant work of literary analysis--it is a wholly new way of thinking about modern Arab literary and political culture. Indeed, Litvin presents readers with a fresh interpretation of Arab history in the twentieth century, one told through the lens of perhaps the most famous play in the world. This is bold, clever, and fresh scholarship, written in clear and accessible prose, and intended for anyone who cares about the power of literature to transform society--for good or bad." --Reza Aslan, author No god but God and Beyond Fundamentalism "Presenting a strong and convincing argument, fascinating details, good historical contextualization, and a fast-paced narrative, this engrossing book shows how various productions and manifestations of Hamlet are in conversation with each other and with an enormous range of intellectual and artistic regions in the Arab world. It will reanimate conversations amongst various audiences interested in contemporary Arab cultural creation, the interplay of politics and culture, and of course, Shakespeare." --Marilyn Booth, University of Edinburgh Flap "A fascinating look at how one of the Western worlds most iconic literary characters has been appropriated by Arabs as a symbol of secularism, nationalism, or Islamism, depending on the prevailing political mood. Hamlets Arab Journey is not just a brilliant work of literary analysis--it is a wholly new way of thinking about modern Arab literary and political culture. Indeed, Litvin presents readers with a fresh interpretation of Arab history in the twentieth century, one told through the lens of perhaps the most famous play in the world. This is bold, clever, and fresh scholarship, written in clear and accessible prose, and intended for anyone who cares about the power of literature to transform society--for good or bad." --Reza Aslan, author No god but God and Beyond Fundamentalism "Presenting a strong and convincing argument, fascinating details, good historical contextualization, and a fast-paced narrative, this engrossing book shows how various productions and manifestations of Hamlet are in conversation with each other and with an enormous range of intellectual and artistic regions in the Arab world. It will reanimate conversations amongst various audiences interested in contemporary Arab cultural creation, the interplay of politics and culture, and of course, Shakespeare." --Marilyn Booth, University of Edinburgh Author Biography Margaret Litvin is assistant professor of Arabic and comparative literature at Boston University. Table of Contents List of Illustrations ix Preface and Acknowledgments xi Note on Transliteration and Translation xvii Introduction 1 "When Shakespeare Travels Abroad" 3 The Global Kaleidoscope 6 Hamlet and Political Agency 8 Chapter 1: Hamlet in the Daily Discourse of Arab Identity 13 "Time Out of Joint": Coming to Terms with History 16 "Shall We Be or Not Be?": Personifying the Group 23 "Words, Words, Words": Forging an Identity 29 "The Plays the Thing" 33 Chapter 2: Nassers Dramatic Imagination, 1952-64 35 Revolutionary Drama 37 Theatre Joins the Battle 44 Shakespeare on the Sidelines 50 Chapter 3: The Global Kaleidoscope: How Egyptians Got Their Hamlet, 1901-64 53 Beyond Caliban 54 "Bend Again toward France" 59 "Do It, England!" 70 Independence and Soviet Shakespeare 75 Bidayrs "Cruel Text" 85 Chapter 4: Hamletizing the Arab Muslim Hero, 1964-67 91 In Search of Social Justice 93 Psychological Interiority as a Ground for Political Agency 95 Sulayman: "Justice or Oppression? That Is the Puzzle" 95 Al-Hallaj: "Who Will Give Me a Seeing Sword?" 103 De-Hamletized Revivals 111 Chapter 5: Time Out of Joint, 1967-76 114 "Something Is Rotten": Theatre and the 1967 Defeat 116 M artyrs for Justice: "Abstract and Brief Chronicles" of the 1970s 124 Sadats Open Door: "To Cook or Not to Cook?" 134 A Dilemma 140 Chapter 6: Six Plays in Search of a Protagonist, 1976-2002 142 Silencing Hamlet 144 "A Play Cant Stab" 147 "His Sword Kept Sticking Up" 163 A Prodigal Cousin 173 Post-Political Laughs 179 Epilogue: Hamlets without Hamlet 183 Notes 189 Bibliography 237 Index 257 Review "Studying productions of Hamlet across the Arab world, including performances in Jordan, Kuwait, Iraq, Egypt, and Syria, Litvin draws broad parallels between the struggles of Shakespeares protagonist and the frustrated political and cultural hopes of Arab intellectuals. Citing an interesting variety of sources--from videos and reviews to scripts and interviews--the author provides a new perspective on how Shakespearean drama has been appropriated in various international and political contexts."--Choice "An exceptional work that crosses many disciplinary boundaries, Margaret Litvins Hamlets Arab Journey not only provides a new approach to the study of international Shakespeare appropriation, but also promises an engaging and narrative-rich point of access to the operations of Arab cultural and political identities."--Lobna Ismail, Theatre Research International Review Quote Studying productions of Hamlet across the Arab world, including performances in Jordan, Kuwait, Iraq, Egypt, and Syria, Litvin draws broad parallels between the struggles of Shakespeares protagonist and the frustrated political and cultural hopes of Arab intellectuals. Citing an interesting variety of sources--from videos and reviews to scripts and interviews--the author provides a new perspective on how Shakespearean drama has been appropriated in various international and political contexts. -- "Choice Details ISBN0691137803 Author Margaret Litvin Series Translation/Transnation Year 2011 ISBN-10 0691137803 ISBN-13 9780691137803 Format Hardcover Imprint Princeton University Press Subtitle Shakespeares Prince and Nassers Ghost Place of Publication New Jersey Country of Publication United States Illustrations 8 halftones. 3 tables. Birth 1974 DEWEY 809 Publisher Princeton University Press Pages 296 Short Title HAMLETS ARAB JOURNEY Language English Media Book Publication Date 2011-10-23 Translated from English UK Release Date 2011-10-23 NZ Release Date 2011-10-23 US Release Date 2011-10-23 Audience Tertiary & Higher Education AU Release Date 2012-01-01 We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. 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