ABSTRACT
In 1957, Taha Husyan (1889-1973), then at the height of his authority as intellectual and model for younger writers across the Arab lands, lent his authority to al-Mascadi’s play al-Sudd (The Dam) published two years earlier. In his much-cited review, he was full of praise for this ‘strange story’ but noted that its language was rather at odds with the times. He said, ‘Language has yielded to our writer and obeyed his will with ease. In fact, I fear that it may have yielded to him more than appropriate. It seduced him and tempted him to be hard on it, and to exhaust it.’1 Some Tunisian critics, largely for nationalistic pride, would claim that the play dazzled even the great Husyan and has given evidence that Tunisia, a country largely perceived in the Arab East as Francophone, was steeped in Arab culture.2 Husyan’s subtext is that the playwright fell for the allure of classical Arabic language. The blame is that he should not have; this was not the time to be lured by the past because modernity required sober and forward-looking minds.3 The paradox is that Husayn’s statement affirms this seduction by the language even as it denies it. His expression, ‘It seduced him and tempted him to be hard on it, and to exhaust it’ (aghrathu bi an yashuqqa calayh§ min amrih§ cusran) is formulaic and classical in rhythm and syntax. In fiction, Husayn promoted a simpler and more direct style. He wrote in 1955: ‘It is then imperative, if one desires that Arabic literature be read and appreciated by the greatest number, that our writing be reformed, democratized, and placed within the grasp of the masses who are in the process of overcoming illiteracy. They [Arab writers] are now looking for a way to transform this writing without being forced to break with the past or to renounce the lofty Arab-Moslem heritage’ (Husayn 1989: 63). In 1947-8, Husayn may have thought it imprudent to express his opinion publicly about al-Mascadi’s book Haddatha Abu-Hurayra q§l, let alone recommend it for publication.4
