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Reza Aslan
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Tablet & Pen: Literary Landscapes from the Modern Middle East (Words Without Borders) Hardcover – November 8, 2010

by Reza Aslan (Editor)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 37 ratings
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A Words Without Borders Anthology

“Remarkable . . . a triumph . . . connects us at the level of our humanity, no matter where we may be from.”―Los Angeles Times

The countries that stretch along the broad horizons of the Middle East―from Morocco to Iran, from Turkey to Pakistan―boast different cultures, different languages, and different religions. Yet the literary landscape of this dynamic part of the world has been bound together not by borders and nationalities, but by a common experience of Western imperialism. Keenly aware of the collected scars left by a legacy of colonial rule, the acclaimed writer Reza Aslan, with a team of four regional editors and seventy-seven translators, cogently demonstrates with Tablet and Pen how literature can, in fact, be used to form identity and serve as an extraordinary chronicle of the disrupted histories of the region.

Acting with Words Without Borders, which fosters international exchange through translation and publication of the world’s finest literature, Aslan has purposefully situated this volume in the twentieth century, beyond the familiar confines of the Ottoman past, believing that the writers who have emerged in the last hundred years have not received their full due. This monumental collection, therefore, of nearly two hundred pieces, including short stories, novels, memoirs, essays and works of drama―many of them presented in English for the first time―features translated works from Arabic, Persian, Urdu, and Turkish. Organized chronologically, the volume spans a century of literature―from the famed Arab poet Khalil Gibran to the Nobel laureates Naguib Mahfouz and Orhan Pamuk, from the great Syrian-Lebanese poet Adonis to the grand dame of Urdu fiction, Ismat Chughtai―connected by the extraordinarily rich tradition of resplendent cultures that have been all too often ignored by the Western canon.

By shifting America’s perception of the Middle Eastern world away from religion and politics, Tablet and Pen evokes the splendors of a region through the voices of its writers and poets, whose literature tells an urgent and liberating story. With a wealth of contextual information that places the writing within the historical, political, and cultural breadth of the region, Tablet & Pen is transcendent, a book to be devoured as a single sustained narrative, from the first page to the last. Creating a vital bridge between two estranged cultures, "this is that rare anthology: cohesive, affecting, and informing" (Publishers Weekly).
Previous page
  1. Print length
    688 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    W. W. Norton & Company
  4. Publication date
    November 8, 2010
  5. Dimensions
    6.7 x 1.8 x 9.6 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0393065855
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0393065855
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. This mammoth anthology goes a long way toward achieving its equally mammoth goal: to shift American views of the Middle East away "from the ubiquitous images of terrorists and fanatics." With selections covering the past 100 years and from countries as diverse as Iran, Turkey, Morocco, and Pakistan, the book presents a progression from largely premodern tales through mid-century post-colonialism to a contemporary globalized Islam and Middle East. Despite the panoramic view and the dazzling array of writers, it all hangs together exceedingly well, and the carefully conceived scaffolding is in service of some extraordinary literature. Jalal Al-e Ahmad's "Gharbzadegi" (roughly translated as "Westoxification"), a passionate call for Arabs to stop aping the West, could give today's pundit class several lessons in wit and rhetoric. The outstanding excerpt from Sadegh Hedayat's The Blind Owl should get the neglected translation some new readers. These prose pieces are met by equally accomplished poetry that ranges from the ranks of titans Adonis and Mahmoud Darwish to a host of lesser-knowns plying a range of styles and subjects. An impressive success that spans vast regions of time and territory, this is that rare anthology: cohesive, affecting, and informing. (Nov.)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Iranian American best-selling writer and professor Aslan has created a vibrant anthology that embraces the modern Middle East “from Morocco to Iran, Turkey to Pakistan.” This unique and splendid gathering of poems, memoirs, fiction, and essays, many translated into English for the first time from Arabic, Persian, Turkish, and Urdu, covers the past century of frenetic disruption and change in works of beauty, dissent, irony, and romance. Among the 70 writers are the Arab poet Khalil Gibran, the Turkish Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk, influential Syrian Lebanese poet Adonis, and Mahmoud Darwish, the voice of Palestine. Of particular interest are women writers. Parvin E’tesami (1907–41), of Iran, wrote in a poem titled “Iranian Women”: “Her life she spent in isolation; she died in isolation. / What was she then if not a prisoner?” Born in 1940, Kishwar Naheed, of Pakistan, winner of the Nelson Mandela Award, writes, “It is we sinful women / who come out raising the banner of truth.” Many truths are brought to light in this remarkably energetic and gloriously multicultural volume from a crucial part of the world. --Donna Seaman

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ W. W. Norton & Company; First Edition (November 8, 2010)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 688 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0393065855
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0393065855
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.37 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.7 x 1.8 x 9.6 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 37 ratings

About the author

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Reza Aslan

Reza Aslan

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Dr. Reza Aslan’s bachelor’s degree is in religious studies, with an emphasis on scripture and traditions (which at Santa Clara University means the New Testament). His minor was in biblical Greek. He has a master of theological studies degree from Harvard University, in world religions, and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Santa Barbara, in the sociology of religions. UCSB’s doctoral program is an interdisciplinary one that draws from religion, history, philosophy, and sociology, among other fields. Aslan’s doctorate in the sociology of religions encompasses expertise in the history of religion. Reza also has a master of fine arts degree from the University of Iowa.

Dr. Aslan is currently professor of creative writing at the University of California, Riverside, with a joint appointment in the department of religion, and he teaches in both disciplines. He was previously Wallerstein Distinguished Visiting Professor at Drew University, where he taught from 2012 to 2013, and assistant visiting professor of religion at the University of Iowa, where he taught from 2000 to 2003. He has written three books on religion.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
37 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Charles A. Kimball
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb collection
Reviewed in the United States on March 16, 2011
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A superb collection. Kudos to Reza Aslan for helping open up the literary landscape of the modern Middle East to a wide audience. Dramatic changes in many lands where Muslims are the majority are helping break through the simplistic stereotypical images so often conveyed through mass media. This excellent resource adds to the much-needed educational process by illuminating the hopes, challenges and ambiguities people in the wider Middle East share with all of humanity.
4 people found this helpful
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Catherine W. Meibert
5.0 out of 5 stars Iranian reaction
Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 2010
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I purchased this book for a friend who is a German citizen, originally from Iran. She raved over the book. She particularly liked the selections from Middle Eastern country other than Iran, because she was unfamiliar with them. She studied many of the selections from Iran as a student there.
5 people found this helpful
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john
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2017
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does Resa has any new book?
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Apryl A. Schwab
4.0 out of 5 stars I love exposing myself to the middle eastern mind and soul ...
Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2014
Verified Purchase
I love exposing myself to the middle eastern mind and soul but feel more commentary should be given for the extraordinary subject matter so as not to confuse specific authors' experiences with a generalization of the culture. Also, would like more written about the incredibly short lives that seems to be prevalent by the chosen authors- suicide? murder? illness?
One person found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2017
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Breathtaking
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Greg Taylor
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Read
Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2011
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This book really puts the reader into the Middle East. I have learned so much about what life was/is like there.
5 people found this helpful
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jcao
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2015
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i like this hardcover version :)) !!
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Fazeel Chauhan
5.0 out of 5 stars A gem. A must have in your personal library collection. About the human beings in the Middle East
Reviewed in the United States on October 23, 2014
The book is beautiful. A great scholarly work, with about 77 translators. They have done a lot of work in selecting the best, from the huge amount of literature out there in the middle east. A truly enjoyable book, which I initially got from the library, then had to purchase a copy of my own. Could not resist. A gem. Listening to the junk news every day in America, You feel like so cut off from this immense world which exists in the middle east. The beauty of every day life. The richness in writing, which I often find lacking in the the West among literature in English. This books gives a positive perspective of the people of the Middle east and makes them human
4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended Book.
Reviewed in Canada on May 25, 2018
Verified Purchase
Quick Shipping. Fascinating book. An excellent groups of Middle Eastern writing.
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Shak224
5.0 out of 5 stars Enlightening stories
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 8, 2018
Verified Purchase
I'm about half way through the book and ii has been a great read. Interesting and enlightening stories that resonate in your mind for days as you're thinking about the underlying messages. Highly recommended.
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