Critical Representation of the Present and the Historical Novels in Egypt: Selected Aspects

The paper deals with the issue of the historical novel, a genre that was born in Arabic literature at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries and has enjoyed unflagging popularity ever since. The material for the analysis will be the works of Egyptian writers: the pioneer of the genre, Ǧūrǧī Zaydān Naǧīb al-Kaylānī, the pioneer of Islamic literature and the representative of the middle generation born in the 1940s and 1950s Raḍwà ‘Āšūr and Yūsuf Zaydān. The aim of the article is to show through the analysis of selected works that authors who represent various views, ideologies and literary currents, by undertaking ethically and politically reflection , make a story about the past an efficient tool for a critical presentation of the present. Thus, the historical novel is an important element of the discourse conducted by Arab intellectuals, which aims to diagnose and define the most important problems of the Arab world.