A A S S N NTHOLOGY OF HORT TORIES EDITED, TRANSLATED, AND WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY Dalya Cohen-Mor Arab Women Writers SUNY series, Women Writers in Translation Marilyn Gaddis Rose, editor Arab Women Writers An Anthology of Short Stories (cid:1)(cid:2)(cid:3) Edited, Translated, and with an Introduction by Dalya Cohen-Mor State University of New York Press Published by State University of New York Press, Albany © 2005 State University of New York All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher. For information, address State University of New York Press, 194 Washington Avenue, Suite 305, Albany, NY 12210-2365 Production by Judith Block Marketing by Fran Keneston Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Arab women writers : an anthology of short stories / collected, translated, and introduced by Dalya Cohen-Mor. p. cm.—(SUNY series, women writers in translation) Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 0-7914-6419-9 (hardcover : alk. paper)— ISBN 0-7914-6420-2 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Short stories, Arabic—Translations into English. 2. Arabic fiction—Women authors—Translations into English. I. Cohen-Mor, Dalya II. Series. PJ7694. E8A719 2005 892.7′301089287—dc22 2004015114 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 To Michael, my life’s companion Contents (cid:1)(cid:2)(cid:3) Acknowledgments xi Introduction 1 Arab Women Writers: A Brief Sketch 3 Thematic Aspects 7 Modes of Writing 18 Arab Women: Old Images, New Profiles 23 Part One Growing Up Female 29 That Summer Holiday Samiya At'ut (Palestine) 30 The Parting Gift Umayma al-Khamis (Saudi Arabia) 32 Let’s Play Doctor Nura Amin (Egypt) 38 In the Moonlight Radwa Ashour (Egypt) 41 At the Beach Buthayna al-Nasiri (Iraq) 44 A Helping Hand Mona Ragab (Egypt) 48 In the Recesses of Memory Fawziya Rashid (Bahrain) 49 Fragments from a Life Sharifa al-Shamlan (Saudi Arabia) 52 The Slave Najiya Thamir (Syria) 55 Part Two Love and Sexuality 59 The Picture Nawal al-Saadawi (Egypt) 60 The Picture Latifa al-Zayyat (Egypt) 65 The Picture Layla al-Uthman (Kuwait) 73 The Smile Nafila Dhahab (Tunisia) 79 My Mother’s Friend Nura Amin (Egypt) 81 A Worthless Woman Hayat Bin al-Shaykh (Tunisia) 83 Part Three Male-Female Relations 87 Where To? Colette Suhayl al-Khuri (Syria) 88 The Cat Layla Ba'labakki (Lebanon) 92 vii viii Contents The Woman of My Dreams Fadila al-Faruq (Algeria) 97 Mozart’s Fez Samiya At'ut (Palestine) 100 A Virgin Continent Samira Azzam (Palestine) 101 An Old Couple Nadiya Khust (Syria) 106 Part Four Marriage 111 A Mistake in the Knitting Ihsan Kamal (Egypt) 112 My Wedding Night Alifa Rifaat (Egypt) 120 The Dummy Sahar al-Muji (Egypt) 127 The Cat, the Maid, and the Wife Daisy al-Amir (Iraq) 129 Sun, I Am the Moon Hanan al-Shaykh (Lebanon) 133 The Dreadful Sea Zuhur Wanisi (Algeria) 141 Woman with a Story Mayy Ziyada (Palestine) 147 The Persian Rug Hanan al-Shaykh (Lebanon) 154 The Dream Aliya Mamdouh (Iraq) 159 Pharaoh Is Drowning Again Sakina Fuad (Egypt) 163 Part Five Childbearing 171 The Spider’s Web Ihsan Kamal (Egypt) 172 Man and Woman Rafiqat al-Tabi'a (Morocco) 178 Half a Woman SufiAbdallah (Egypt) 181 Heir Apparent Ramziya Abbas al-Iryani (Yemen) 186 The Newcomer Daisy al-Amir (Iraq) 189 Part Six Self-Fulfillment 193 International Women’s Day Salwa Bakr (Egypt) 194 The Filly Became a Mouse Layla Ba'labakki (Lebanon) 199 Restoration Umayma al-Khamis (Saudi Arabia) 205 Waiting for Hayla Umayma al-Khamis (Saudi Arabia) 206 The Closely Guarded Secret Sahar al-Muji (Egypt) 209 I Will Never Forfeit My Right Mona Ragab (Egypt) 210 Homecoming Fadila al-Faruq (Algeria) 214 Bittersweet Memories Zabya Khamis (United Arab Emirates) 217 Part Seven Customs and Values 221 Tears for Sale Samira Azzam (Palestine) 222 Misfortune in the Alley Ramziya Abbas al-Iryani (Yemen) 227 Questioning Fawziya Rashid (Bahrain) 232 Contents ix The Dinosaur Emily Nasrallah (Lebanon) 235 Moonstruck Hadiya Sa'id (Lebanon) 241 A Moment of Truth Khayriya al-Saqqaf (Saudi Arabia) 245 The Future Daisy al-Amir (Iraq) 248 The Gallows Suhayr al-Tall (Jordan) 254 Part Eight The Winds of Change 257 The Breeze of Youth Ulfat al-Idilbi (Syria) 258 A Successful Woman Suhayr al-Qalamawi (Egypt) 265 In Need of Reassurance Radwa Ashour (Egypt) 270 Short and Sassy Nafila Dhahab (Tunisia) 275 The Collapse of Barriers Samiya At'ut (Palestine) 277 The Beginning Salwa Bakr (Egypt) 280 A Moment of Contemplation Nuzha Bin Sulayman (Morocco) 285 I Will Try Tomorrow Mona Ragab (Egypt) 288 Notes 291 About the Authors 297