The Arabian Dream Palace

The Dream Palace of the Arabs: A Generation's Odyssey

This article reviews 20th-century Arab history from the perspectives of politics, culture, and literature, exploring a century-long question through the lives and reflections of dozens of Arabs, including Adonis:
Where is the Arab world's path to modernization?
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On June 6, 1982, fighting erupted along the Lebanese border as Israeli troops invaded southern Lebanon in three directions. Late that night in Beirut, the Lebanese capital, the poet Khalil Harwi walked to his balcony, a hunting rifle in hand, facing the sea and the school clock tower, and pulled the trigger. His body tumbled over the railing and landed beside a cluster of jasmine flowers below. Eight days later, the Israeli army reached the gates of Beirut.
The final straw that broke Harvey's back was not only the humiliation of his country's defeat, but also despair about the Arab nation's resurgence. For over half a century, Harvey and countless other Arabs had envisioned a world of unity, progress, and modernization. However, the quarrels between traditionalists and reformists, the clash between secularism and theocracy, the hatred of the West among Arabs, and the growing narrow-mindedness of nationalism ultimately sapped the Arabs' hopes.
In this book, Lebanese scholar Fouad Ajami, through the eyes of an Arab insider, reviews Arab history since the 20th century from the perspectives of politics, culture, and literature. Tracing the life and thought paths of Arab intellectuals like Harvey, Adonis, Mahfouz, and Munif, he journeys from the mountains of Lebanon to Egypt and on to the Arabian Peninsula, recounting the decades of revival and tribulation experienced by this great and resilient nation. He attempts to answer a question that has agonized for nearly a century: Where is the path to modernization for the Arab world?

2022-07-01

当代世界出版社

Ideal Country

388

9787509016480