We Wrote in Symbols: Love and Lust by Arab Women Writers

We Wrote in Symbols: Love and Lust by Arab Women Writers

  • Downloads:2214
  • Type:Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date:2021-10-12 09:50:56
  • Update Date:2025-09-06
  • Status:finish
  • Author:Selma Dabbagh
  • ISBN:086356397X
  • Environment:PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Summary

It is a little-known secret that Arabic literature has a long tradition of erotic writing。 Behind that secret lies another – that many of the writers are women。

We Wrote in Symbols celebrates the works of 75 of these female writers of Arab heritage who articulate love and lust with artistry and skill。 Here, a wedding night takes an unexpected turn beneath a canopy of stars; a woman on the run meets her match in a flirtatious encounter at Dubai Airport; and a carnal awakening occurs in a Palestinian refugee camp。 From a masked rendezvous in a circus, to meetings in underground bars and unmade beds, there is no such thing as a typical sexual encounter, as this electrifying anthology shows。

Powerfully conveying the complexities and intrigues of desire, We Wrote in Symbols invites you to share these characters’ wildest fantasies and most intimate moments。

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Reviews

Habeeb Akande

We Wrote in Symbols celebrates the works of 75 women writers of Arab heritage who articulate love and lust。 Edited by British-Palestinian author Selma Dabbagh, the anthology highlights the tradition of female erotic Arabic literature。The book argues that writing about love, desire and sex is no contemporary trend in Arabic literature。 Nor is it something that can be attributed to Western influence。 Women in Arab-Muslim countries have been featured in erotic Arabic literature as far back as the p We Wrote in Symbols celebrates the works of 75 women writers of Arab heritage who articulate love and lust。 Edited by British-Palestinian author Selma Dabbagh, the anthology highlights the tradition of female erotic Arabic literature。The book argues that writing about love, desire and sex is no contemporary trend in Arabic literature。 Nor is it something that can be attributed to Western influence。 Women in Arab-Muslim countries have been featured in erotic Arabic literature as far back as the pre-Islamic era。For many conservative Arabs nowadays, the words haram (forbidden) and ‘aib (shameful) are commonly associated with sex and female desire。 A lack of formal sex education has contributed to the taboo of sex in Arab-Muslim and Arab-Christian households。 Contrary to popular belief, sexual writings were very popular amongst pre-modern Arabs。 Erotica was a strong feature in early Arabic literature and women were prolific contributors。 Sometimes, they wrote anonymously or under pen names for fear of retribution。 。The anthology provides a fascinating insight into the hidden world of Arab women's sensuality。 The book also pushes back on Western portrayals of the fetishized Arab women based on their conjured assumptions of “what Arab women are like。” Some of the featured writers include Salwa al-Neimi, author of The Proof of the Honey。 。。。more

Cardyn Brooks

http://blerdybingereader。blogspot。com。。。 http://blerdybingereader。blogspot。com。。。 。。。more

Miriam T

What an incredibly curated collection of pieces。 This book is SO important to the scholarship of Arab voices; I studied Middle East Studies formally for 4 years and never read anything like this。 There is a story of a woman who discovers masturbation (and her body more generally) in a Palestinian refugee camp。 There is a story of 2 young Saudis who have an affair in a hotel room and have to sneak around because of the danger。 There are many stories of women losing their virginity, or realizing t What an incredibly curated collection of pieces。 This book is SO important to the scholarship of Arab voices; I studied Middle East Studies formally for 4 years and never read anything like this。 There is a story of a woman who discovers masturbation (and her body more generally) in a Palestinian refugee camp。 There is a story of 2 young Saudis who have an affair in a hotel room and have to sneak around because of the danger。 There are many stories of women losing their virginity, or realizing they are gay, or rewriting power dynamics with men etc just so so amazing to have a collection like this。 In general, I found the short stories exponentially more compelling than the poems but that could also be just because poetry is much harder for me to absorb and find meaning from。 。。。more