Description
How do we forge our own distinct identity? How do we craft our narratives, ones that spring from our concerns, our surroundings, our people, and our language? And how do we navigate this era of profound transformations we are living through?
These are the themes of this book, questions that Abdul Rahman Munif has consistently explored, both in his novels, where he excelled and made a powerful impact, and in his interviews, meetings, and articles.
In his novels, Munif has always cautioned against “borrowing the fingers of others,” emphasizing that we must use and create with our own hands. We must learn from the achievements of the novel worldwide, but we must also draw upon our heritage and history, while looking responsibly at our present. In this way, we can develop this great art form and leave our mark, creating a novel written in Arabic that expresses the concerns of this region and earns its place in the annals of this creative art.
In history, where the victor writes its pages to serve their interests and ideologies, and where history writing is itself part of the struggle, Munif called, and continues to call, for us to undertake this task in all its details, not only in specialized history books, but also by writing everything related to our lives. For the more we record things, the more we give them their place in history, and we are no longer mere spectators. Thus, biography, like photography, plays a vital role.
Faced with the transformations that astound us, especially in the fields of information and media, and with the proliferation of screens and their transformation into the most powerful means of influencing thought and opinion, where have the other tools for shaping public opinion gone, and in particular, where has the book become as a means of influence and knowledge?
These are the themes of this book, which calls for raising questions, encouraging reflection, and initiating action, instead of the stagnation, if not regression, we are experiencing. We must not stand idly by, waiting for something to come to us, rather than creating it ourselves.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.