Short Arabic Plays: An Anthology
Salma Khadra Jayyusi, ed.

Northampton, MA: Interlink Books, 2003. 466 pages

Like most of the other anthologies edited by Salma Khadra Jayyusi, Short
Arabic Plays is a collection of translated Arabic literary works focused
around one particular genre. This anthology, part of Jayyusi’s Project for
the Translation of Arabic (PROTA), will bring attention to a dynamic, but
understudied, genre of Arabic literature. This diverse collection consists of
20 short plays by 15 playwrights, demonstrating the breadth of the genre
and its interest not only to scholars and specialists, but also to those con-
cerned with literature more generally. 

One problem with this particular anthology, however, is that Jayyusi’s
seven-page editor’s introduction barely manages to explain the impetus
behind the project, make her acknowledgments and outline the major
themes in short plays in general – let alone contextualize the plays included
in this volume. Although it includes short biographies of the editor, contrib-
utors, and translators (after a brief glossary of Arabic words), there are no
introductions to the individual works or even such bibliographic indications
as their original titles and dates of publication. In contrast, other anthologies
by Jayyusi – for example, Modern Arabic Poetry: An Anthology (Columbia
University Press: 1987) and Anthology of Modern Palestinian Literature
(Columbia University Press: 1992) – are accompanied by useful and lengthy
introductions written by Jayyusi herself, as well as brief introductions to
each individual contribution. 

Likewise, the anthology most closely related to this one, Modern
Arabic Drama: An Anthology, coedited with Roger Allen (Indiana

Book Reviews 121



University Press: 1995) contains a preface by the editors, an introduction
by M. M. Badawi, and short introductions to each play. In her introduction,
Jayyusi notes that Short Arabic Plays complements Modern Arabic Drama.
Indeed, it is almost needed as a companion volume for the non-specialist
to gain some understanding of the different playwrights, literary periods,
styles, and so on. This missing information is particularly problematic in
the case of Short Arabic Plays, because it treats such a little-known genre.
Moreover, as a reference work largely intended for readers of English who
are likely not well-versed in Arabic literature, more detailed information
and context about the literary works is important and would have been
extremely helpful.

Though in many ways this collection is broad, in others it is somewhat
limited. The playwrights are Egyptian, Emirati, Lebanese, Libyan, Iraqi,
Palestinian, Syrian, and a Jordanian of Syrian origin. Most of them are well-
known literary figures, with one exception – whose contribution is well-
worth being included – is the only female playwright: Samia Qazmouz
Bakri. Bakri’s monodrama “The Alley” is a reminiscence about life in Akka
before and after the Israeli occupation. The North African countries of
Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia have no representation, nor do the countries
of the Gulf, other than “The Return of Hulegu,” penned by the reigning
shaykh of the Emirate of Sharjah, Sultan Ben Muhammad al-Qasimi. This
allegorical play critiques the hypocrisy of contemporary Arab politics. 

Many of the other contributions deal directly or allegorically with cor-
ruption and the state of affairs in the Arab world, for example: Yusuf al-
`Ani’s “Where the Power Lies,” Tawfiq al-Hakim’s “War and Peace,”
Walid Ikhlasi’s “Pleasure Club 21,” and Riad Ismat’s “Was Dinner Good,
Dear Sister?” In addition to Bakri, other Palestinian contributions capture
the tragedy of the Palestinian situation, often with humor, including Fateh
Azzam’s “Baggage” and his collaborative “Ansar.” Censorship is taken on
by `Ali Salim in “The Coffee Bar.” Mamdouh `Udwan’s two plays, “The
Mask” and “Reflections of a Garbage Collector,” are scathing critiques of
social customs and norms in contemporary Arab society, as is Tawfiq al-
Hakim’s “Boss Kanduz’s Apartment Building.” Perhaps the most incisive
plays here are the final three in the collection – Sa`dallah Wannous’ “The
Glass Café” and “The King’s Elephant” and Sa`d al-Din Wahba’s “The
Height of Wisdom.” The remaining five plays are Mahmoud Diyab’s “Men
Have Heads,” Ahmed Ibrahim al-Fagih’s “The Singing of the Stars,” Alfred
Farag’s “The Person,” Jamal Abu Hamdan’s “Actress J’s Burial Night,” and
Raymond Jbara’s “The Traveler.” 

122 The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 21:4



Book Reviews 123

The anthology is organized alphabetically by the author’s last name (as
spelled in English). This prevents the problem of categorizing such a broad
group of plays that are of different subgenres, periods, styles, and that treat
different themes, topics, and issues. On the one hand, this allows them to
“speak for themselves” as literary works, rather than being forced into gen-
eral categories or typologies. On the other hand, as translated works from a
literary tradition that is little studied or understood in English, a disassoci-
ation from their literary and other contexts is pointed up again by this orga-
nizational strategy.

This paperback volume is attractively presented by Interlink Books and
relatively inexpensive for such an extensive work, making it practical for
teaching purposes. Some errors of translation and transliteration, however,
detract from its overall effectiveness. For example, in the glossary, ishlah
meaning “take off your clothes” is translated as “if God is willing.”
Presumably, this word is confused with inshallah. Walid Ikhlasi’s first
name is transliterated incorrectly as “Waalid” in the table of contents. Also
in the table of contents an unusual spelling of Sa`Dallah Wannous (using a
capitalized “D”) follows the more conventionally spelled, Sa`d al-Din
Wahba. This choice of orthography might have been explained for the ben-
efit of students learning Arabic, and spellings of names also maintained
consistently throughout the volume (the capitalized “D” disappears where
the actual plays are included and recurs in the authors’ biographies). This is
regrettable in such an anthology, which will be used as a reference work
and for teaching, because it will confuse those unfamiliar with Arabic – stu-
dents and teachers alike.

Like all translation projects from Arabic to English, Short Arabic Plays
is an important contribution to the field and a valuable resource for those
interested in teaching or studying Arabic literature in translation. Moreover,
it should prove useful to those teaching more general literature courses such
as drama or otherwise, who would like to include works translated from
Arabic. Since no individual piece is longer than 40 pages and some are
under 20 pages, they can be used in many different ways. Particularly
because these short plays often express poignant and tragic situations using
humor, they show a side of Arabic literature and culture often neglected in
the English-speaking world. 

Michelle Hartman
Institute of Islamic Studies, McGill University

Montreal, Quebec, Canada