Shifts in Awareness of the Arabic Novel after the “Naksa”:Tayseer Sbol and Ghassan Kanafani as Models
Mohamed S. Al-Sauodi, Arabic Department, Technical University of Tafīla, Tafīla, Jordan.
Abstract
The study aims to critically read the effect of the "Nakba” (the day of the Setback) in 1967 on Arab citizens in general and on Palestinian citizens in particular. Moreover, this study will deal with two novels written by two young Arabs: Tayseer Sbol’s You Since the Day and Ghassan Kanafani’s Un Saad both of which share a similar vision but differ in handling the daily minor event. For example, Kanafani stood on the border of the Camp contemplating on how the daily life has changed for displaced Palestinians who used to own his land and time; hence supporting armed struggle. On the other hand, Sbol’s vision was horizontal, dealing with the situation of fragmented Arabs represented in “Arabi,” the protagonist of his novel. Kanafni’s vision was vertical, colored with pain and memory as he was able to delve deeply into the human psyche and inside the Camps representing new social structures not familiar to Arabs as well as Palestinians. Critically reading these two novels, one can read awareness shifts through two aspects: space and its effect on the psychological time that shapes the lives of individuals and society in everyday life, especially both novelists resort to closed places which, in turn, expose the hypocrisy of Arab position facing Israeli armed forces; employing dialogue and raising awareness in some parts of the texts so as to boost people’s courage and self-esteem that are deeply repressed due to the Nakba and the failure of the National Project.
Key words: Nakba (Setback), Awareness Shifts, Space, Dialogue.