Arab books and human development

Given the many sources Arab readers have access to in non-Arab books, there is a real risk of overstating the importance of translation. This is not to say that the translation of books is unimportant. If, however, the priority is the diffusion of alternate ideas and debates, we should not overemphasize one vehicle over others.

Western Ignorance of Arab Books

Given the critical tone adopted by many Western analysts of the apparent shortcomings in Arab publishing, it is worth noting the relative neglect of contemporary Arab thought in the West. Given the number and diversity of foreign language works translated into English, the paucity of Arab books translated into English is cause for concern. Never has the West had greater need to understand current thinking in the Arab world than they have since the events of 11 September 2001. Yet this is not reflected in any noteworthy translation projects of Arabic-language books.

It is true that a vast and growing collection of modern works of Arabic literature are being translated into English and other European languages. However, with the exception of Egyptian Nobel laureate Naguib Mahfouz, very few works of Arab literature reach beyond a small circle of university students and teachers, and their print runs are more in keeping with books published in the Arab world than in the West. Mahfouz himself only gained an audience when he was awarded the Nobel Prize, and relatively few of his works--The Cairo Trilogy, for the most part--have found a wide readership. Indeed, the growth of Arabic literature in translation reflects the dedication of a small group of Western scholars who translate these works rather than the publishing industry itself.

Far fewer works of Arab non-fiction are translated into Western languages than works of creative writing. Aside from a handful of Arab authors like Mohamed Hassanein Heikal, who has seen at least ten of his books translated into English, the works of key Arab thinkers are not accessible to readers in the West. None of the key books by Damascene Sadiq Jalal al-Azm, such as his critique of religious thought, his critique of the Palestinian opposition movements, or his essay on the Rushdie Affair, has been translated--despite the fact he is addressing issues of key concern to readers in the West. (14) Critical Islamic thinkers like Nasr Abu Zayd in Egypt, Muhammad Talbi in Tunisia and Mohamed Arkoun of Morocco remain largely unknown to English readers (though Arkoun's work is widely available in French). In the realm of contemporary Arab political thought, the many books published by the Center for Arab Unity Studies would be well worth the translating.

In an age when many in the West seek to understand the differences that separate them from the Arab world, one would expect greater interest to be shown in Arab books in the West. It is as much a problem for the Western world to come to grips with Arab authors in this inter-connected age as vice versa. Even if commercial considerations in the West make the wholesale translation of Arabic books unfeasible, there should be more discussion of Arab thought in Western literary journals such as the NYRB and TLS. Engagement is a two way exchange, and the West in many ways lags behind the Arab world in addressing the issues raised in the books of the other.