The celebrated, revolutionary novel from a pioneering Egyptian writer Tawfiq al-Hakim, now for the first time in Penguin Classics with a foreword by Egyptian writer Alaa Al-Aswany First published in Arabic in 1933, Egyptian playwright and novelist Tawfiq Al-Hakim's Return of the Spirit follows a patriotic young Egyptian and his extended family as they grapple with the events leading up to the 1919 Egyptian revolution. Though often cited as an apprenticeship novel in the vein of Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man with a touch of failed romance a la Goethe's Sorrow of Young Werther, Al-Hakim's classic is most recognized for being a trailblazing political novel that illustrates the way one man's spiritual awakening ties to a political awakening of a nation. While enthusiasm for the book was stifled in the mid-20th century due to a shift in Egyptian government rule, the 2011 Tahrir revolution in Egypt caused it to be examined anew as a strong expression of nationalist solidarity and an exposé of the heritage-stripping power of Western colonialism that resonates with 21st-century Egyptians. Return of the Spirit is considered Al-Hakim's most important novel despite writing more plays than novels, and his adept understanding of class and culture within Egyptian society has cemented his place as one of the country's most celebrated writers and cultural critics.

Return of the Spirit

Literature & Fiction

Al-Hakim, Tawfiq

United States

Penguin Publishing Group

Includes The Song of Death, The Sultan s Dilemma, and Not a Thing Out of Place, as well as the title play, an absurdist comedy. Tawfiq al-Hakim is Egypt s most famous playwright, as well as one of its most important essayists and novelists. His clear and unaffected style has contributed to the formation of modern Arabic. Denys Johnson-Davies has published more than twenty-five volumes of stories, novels, plays, and poetry translated from modern Arabic literature. He lives in Cairo.

Fate of a Cockroach and Other Plays

Dramas & Plays

Lynne Rienner Publishers

The Tree Climber: A Play in Two Acts

World Literature

Three Continents Pr

The Tree Climber: A Play

Tawfig, Al-Hakim

Return of the Spirit: Tawfiq Al-Hakim's Classic Novel of the 1919 Revolution

Passeggiata Pr

Return of the Spirit: Tawfig Al-Hakim's Classic Novel of the 1919 Revolution : First Complete English Translation

Ḥakīm, Tawfīq

Literary

Text: English (translation) 
Original Language: Arabic

In the Tavern of Life & Other Stories

Hutchins, William M.

Short Stories & Anthologies

In the Tavern of Life and Other Stories

Includes The Song of Death, The Sultan s Dilemma, and Not a Thing Out of Place, as well as the title play, an absurdist comedy.Tawfiq al-Hakim is Egypt s most famous playwright, as well as one of its most important essayists and novelists. His clear and unaffected style has contributed to the formation of modern Arabic. Denys Johnson-Davies has published more than twenty-five volumes of stories, novels, plays, and poetry translated from modern Arabic literature. He lives in Cairo.

Both revolution and romance are at the heart of Return of the Spirit, first published in Arabic in 1933. The story of a patriotic young Egyptian and his extended family, ending with events surrounding the 1919 revolution for al-Hakim, a literal awakening of the Egyptian spirit Return of the Spirit with its strong expression of nationalist solidarity has particular resonance now. Admiration for the novel by the military entrepreneurs who replaced Egypt s monarchy in 1952 temporarily dampened enthusiasm for it; but the 2011 Tahrir revolution has made it seem once again as fresh as today s news. This new edition of Return of the Spirit includes William Maynard Hutchins s new introduction along with his revised translation of the novel.

History & Criticism

Lynne Rienner Pub

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