Jokha Alharthi is Associate Professor of Classical Arabic Literature in Sultan Qaboos University. She is the author of several short story collections and novels, including Celestial Bodies, winner of the Man Booker International Prize 2019.

• 1. Introduction: A Critical Reappraisal of Scholarship of the ‘Udhri Tradition; 2. Reconstructing the Past; 3. ‘Udhri Tradition Between Chastity and Sensuality; 4. The Representation of the Beloved’s Body; 5. Present and Absent Bodies of the Beloved; 6. Textuality Vs. Reality; 7. The Representation of the Lover’s Body in the ‘Udhri Tradition; Conclusion; Bibliography; Appendix.

Samira Aghacy has written an interesting book that fills a gap in criticism of contemporary Arabic literature. At a time when ageing has become a major socio-economic issue, Arab male and female writers are addressing the proliferating roles of the elderly and how attitudes to them are changing. This book analyses sixteen Arabic novels from Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Palestine, Egypt, and Tunisia to demonstrate that there is no single model of old age either in society or in literature. In so doing, it contributes to an appreciation of the ways in which fiction opens up new vistas on occluded subjects.

Jokha Alharthi is Associate Professor of Classical Arabic Literature in Sultan Qaboos University. She is the author of several short story collections and novels, including Celestial Bodies, winner of the Man Booker International Prize 2019.

• 1. Introduction: A Critical Reappraisal of Scholarship of the ‘Udhri Tradition; 2. Reconstructing the Past; 3. ‘Udhri Tradition Between Chastity and Sensuality; 4. The Representation of the Beloved’s Body; 5. Present and Absent Bodies of the Beloved; 6. Textuality Vs. Reality; 7. The Representation of the Lover’s Body in the ‘Udhri Tradition; Conclusion; Bibliography; Appendix.

Samira Aghacy has written an interesting book that fills a gap in criticism of contemporary Arabic literature. At a time when ageing has become a major socio-economic issue, Arab male and female writers are addressing the proliferating roles of the elderly and how attitudes to them are changing. This book analyses sixteen Arabic novels from Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Palestine, Egypt, and Tunisia to demonstrate that there is no single model of old age either in society or in literature. In so doing, it contributes to an appreciation of the ways in which fiction opens up new vistas on occluded subjects.

Jokha Alharthi is Associate Professor of Classical Arabic Literature in Sultan Qaboos University. She is the author of several short story collections and novels, including Celestial Bodies, winner of the Man Booker International Prize 2019.

• 1. Introduction: A Critical Reappraisal of Scholarship of the ‘Udhri Tradition; 2. Reconstructing the Past; 3. ‘Udhri Tradition Between Chastity and Sensuality; 4. The Representation of the Beloved’s Body; 5. Present and Absent Bodies of the Beloved; 6. Textuality Vs. Reality; 7. The Representation of the Lover’s Body in the ‘Udhri Tradition; Conclusion; Bibliography; Appendix.

Samira Aghacy has written an interesting book that fills a gap in criticism of contemporary Arabic literature. At a time when ageing has become a major socio-economic issue, Arab male and female writers are addressing the proliferating roles of the elderly and how attitudes to them are changing. This book analyses sixteen Arabic novels from Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Palestine, Egypt, and Tunisia to demonstrate that there is no single model of old age either in society or in literature. In so doing, it contributes to an appreciation of the ways in which fiction opens up new vistas on occluded subjects.