Ṭāhā Ḥusayn: A Bi-Lingual Arabic Reader
Ṭāhā Ḥusayn: A Bi-Lingual Arabic Reader is an Arabic language reader that focuses on passages from works authored by the renowned Egyptian litterateur and public intellectual Ṭāhā Ḥusayn.
A critical introduction discusses Ḥusayn’s writing style and his contributions to the nahḍah or cultural renaissance in Arabic-speaking societies. This reader inspires Arabic learners to improve the ease and accuracy with which they read for comprehension—perhaps the most challenging dimension to achieving proficiency in Arabic—within the framework of celebrated literature and literary and cultural criticism. The Arabic texts are provided with an abundance of short vowel markers, many more than what one would find in the original versions. Extensive vocabulary entries are provided by way of footnotes immediately beneath the passages to which the vocabulary pertains. Part two of the reader consists of new translations as well as re-translations for the Arabic texts.
This work is intended primarily for intermediate and advanced non-native learners of Arabic.
R. Kevin Lacey is Professor Emeritus of Arabic and Near Eastern Studies, SUNY Binghamton, USA.