Desire, pleasure and the taboo. New voices and freedom of expression in contemporary arabic literature

Both the intention and scope of Arabic creative writing from the pre-modern (classical) period to the present have always assumed a duality of artistic creativity and concern for the human condition. From the essays of the 9th century to Thousand and One Nights, Arab poets and storytellers have broken free of literary and cultural conventions in their quest to create new discursive spaces to express themselves. What has come down to us throughout the ages is a corpus of literature that has expanded and continues to expand, not only its own generic boundaries but also those of prevailing social morality, with the aim of telling the Arabic story in all its richness and complexity. The project of modern Arabic literature, to which this present volume adds its critical perspectives, is deeply rooted in this duality of artistic creativity and concern for the human condition. The volume brings together a collection of critical studies that explore the ways in which contemporary Arab writers deal with religious, political, social, sexual and aesthetic taboos. The book, which contains the proceedings of the 9th International Congress of EURAMAL (European Association for Modern Arabic Literature), held at 'La Sapienza', University of Rome (from the 16th to the 19th of June 2010), wishes therefore to contribute to the search for new paths in the study of contemporary Arabic literature.