Ahdaf Soueif's book on the revolution so far has, comfortingly, been given a lousy review by Samer el Youssef in the Arab Israeli Book Review. I have left the following comment, and it is "awaiting moderation". But since I don't expect it to be approved, here it is:
I wonder if the reviewer has read even a chapter of this book? Soueif makes it clear, repeatedly, that the book is intended as an act of intervention in an ongoing revolution, that it is false to think of the 18 days as a complete narrative and that we are engaged in an ongoing struggle.
Secondly, anyone that is familiar with Soueif's work, or, indeed, has read the book, will know that she has been writing fiercely critical articles of the Mubarak regime for the last decade. For anyone that wants to check them out, they are all compiled both on her website and the Guardian's.
Finally - though it's hardly worth mentioning in such a summarily incoherent article - the reviewer accuses Soueif of "posing" as a revolutionary, aligns her with people "who don't know a word of Arabic" - and then goes on to say she was seen "manning the barricades at Tahrir Square". Which one is it? Does the reviewer even know?
The fog of confusion hangs thick over this article. But that should hardly be a surprise given the website that hosts it.
HI Omar,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad we posted your feedback to this review. Remember that comments and texts on the blog represent the viewpoints of their authors only. While you say that Samir does not seem to have read the book, you yourself make a sweeping generalisation about the many different Arab, Palestinian and Israeli voices on the blog - have you read it, or is this generalisation based on the fact that the blog represents ideological viewpoints different to your own - I emphasise the plural, as the blog embodies diverse and divergent perspectives? There will be other reviews of Soueif's fascinating book on the blog which should be more nuanced. In the meantime, lets try to encourage the expression of hidden or silenced voices from the region, and celebrate the reasons it matters so much to us.
Ariel,
ReplyDeleteI have to admit, that was my impression of the review as well: 1) wow, what's with the tone, and 2) did Samir actually read this book?
I think this piece's tone, coming from one of the editors of the site, makes one question the whole project. And then another piece name-calling people as "goats" doesn't help, either.
Encouraging the expression of hidden or silenced voices sounds very nice, but this just reads like a random nastygram. & yeah, we've got plenty of nastygrams in the region.
Hi dear. I think I try to look at this book.
ReplyDelete