ABSTRACT
Since the 1970s, one notices the influence of many younger writers on Mal;lf~'s work, especially the technique of using traditional Arabic narratives as subtexts, as in Arabian Nights and Days and Ri~/at Ibn Fa~~ilmah (1983; The Journey of Ibn Fattouma). One noticeable technique that Mal;lfii~ uses quite successfully is the construction of novels in chapters each one of which tells the tale of one character or one family, as in Mirrors, The Harafish, and 1:Iadith al-~abii~ wa-al-masii' (1987; Morning and Evening Talk). In most of these works one notices a more dominant presence of summary rather than the meticulous detail of the previous period. The interest is now more in destinies, ideas, and human types.
