The Experimental Turn in the Moroccan Novel, 1976-1989

The Experimental Turn in the Moroccan Novel, 1976-1989 examines the trajectory of the Moroccan experimental novel and makes a link between its emergence in the early-mid 1970s and the Arab defeat in the six-day war with Israel in 1967. Drawing on works by Mu-ammad Barradah, -Abdullah al--Arwi, A-mad al-Madini, and others, the book contends that the Moroccan experimental novel reflects an historic turning point and transitional cultural landscape. It further shows that the experimental novel laid the ground for a different vision of literature, an important feature of which was the intent to surpass the traditional realist model as executed by Moroccan novelist -Abdulkarim Ghallab (1919-2017) and Egyptian Nobel laureate Najib Mäfu- (1911-2006). This new vision of literature seeks to create new discursive spheres for the treatment of the social and the political. This book will be an important contribution to debates around Moroccan/Arabic/Maghrebi literature, as well as to the field of literary experimentalism more broadly.

Anouar El Younssi is an Assistant Professor of Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies at the Oxford College of Emory University, USA. His most recent publications include articles in journals such as Tamazgha Studies Journal , Journal of Arabic Literature, and The Journal of North African Studies.

Introduction: Mapping al-Tajrib in the Moroccan and Arabic Novel Chapter 1: The New Novel in Morocco and the Arab World and the Question of Reception Chapter 2: Al-Tajrib (Experimentation), al-Turath (Heritage), and The New Moroccan Novel: Between Innovation and Imitation Chapter 3: A-mad al-Madini's Zaman bayna al-Wiladah wa al--ulm: Writing the Self and Flouting Systems of Authority Chapter 4: Müammad Barradah's The Game of Forgetting: Experimental Multiplicity, Ludic Memory, and Sexual Politics Chapter 5: -Abdullah al--Arwi's -Awraq Sirat Idris al-Dhihniyyah: The Politics of Form as an Allegory for the State of Crisis Conclusion Index