العمى والسيرة الذاتية

by Fedwa Malti-Douglas, لمياء محمد صالح باعشن (ترجمة), فدوى مالطي دوغلاس

The three-volume life-story of the Egyptian intellectual Tahah Husayn (1889-1973) is a landmark in modern autobiography, in Arabic letters, and in the literature of blindness. This justly celebrated text, however, has never been subjected to the sustained literary analysis here presented by Fedwa Malti-Douglas. Born into a modest family and blinded in childhood, Husayn nevertheless conquered first his own and then a European educational system to become one of his country's leading modernizers. Professor Malti-Douglas shows that the personal, social, and literary reality of the hero's blindness gives the autobiography its unity and force. Blindness and Autobiography is not only a rich explication of al-Ayyam but a pioneering study of the interaction between a severe physical handicap and the autobiographical process. It adds a new perspective to the contemporary discussion of the cultural uses of the body.



The first part of the book explores blindness and society, from the evolving conflict between personal and social conceptions of the handicap to the way blindness redefines the more familiar issues of traditional versus modern, East versus West. The second section examines the relationship of blindness to the autobiography's ecriture, rhetoric, and narration.

Originally published in 1988.

The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

235 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Professor Malti-Douglas began her career in Middle Eastern studies, producing nine books in this area (two chosen for singular distinction) and over 80 articles. She has served on many boards (including editorial boards) and received numerous fellowships and endowed lectureships, as well as the 1997 Kuwait Prize for Arts and Letters and the 1998 Distinguished Scholar Award from the Dean for Women's Affairs at IU. Professor Malti-Douglas has recently broadened her intellectual interests. Hisland (SUNY Press, 1998) is a satirical novel of the academy. Her most recent book, The Starr Report Disrobed (Columbia University Press, 2000), links the interdisciplinary area of gender, sexuality, and the body with that of American legal and political narratives.

Her current research includes work in Europe and Latin America as well as the United States, as it continues her interest in visual and verbal narratives. Professor Malti-Douglas was recently selected for membership in the American Philosophical Society, the oldest learned society in the country. She is only the fourth IU faculty member to receive this award. In the fall of 2004 she was inducted into the society with professor and author Noam Chomsky, and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Steven Breyer. The American Philosophical Society was founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1743.

Currently, Dr. Malti-Douglas is serving as the Editor-in-Chief of a new four-volume Encyclopedia of Sex and Gender for MacMillian.

Reviews

[Majd · Rating 3 out of 5]

كتاب الأيام كان أحد أجمل السير التي قرأتها، ويبدو أن هذا الكتاب هو فرصة رائعة لإعادة قراءة الكتاب على مهل.
تناقش الدراسة في الجزء الأول سيرة الكاتب التي طغى عليها صراع العمى الشخصي والاجتماعي، بدءاً من تعرف طه على إعاقته ثم صراعه معها ومع محاولات المجتمع لتنميطه وتصنيفه، هذا الصراع الذي يبدأ من بداية الكتاب حين يستذكر الكاتب حياته المبكرة: "وإن كان قد بقي له من هذا الوقت ذكرى واضحة بينة لا سبيل إلى الشك فيها فإنما هي ذكرى هذا السياج... " السياج الذي يمتد إلى آخر الدنيا"، وأعمدته "متقاربة بشكل لا يسمح له بأن ينسل من بين ثناياه"، وأنه كان يحسد الأرانب التي "تستطيع أن تتخطى السياج انسياباً بين قصبه." وبلا شك تصور هذه البداية حدوداً واقعية/رمزية تمنى البطل تخطيها – وتمكن من ذلك - منذ السطور الأولى في الكتاب.
في الجزء الثاني للكتاب تحلل الدراسة دور العمى في التقنيات السردية للنص، من خلال محور البلاغة، الدعابة، استراتيجيات السرد المختلفة والبعد الزمني.

الدراسة ماتعة ولا تخلو من ملاحظات ذكية، تستحق القراءة.