Comparison of the Novels of Najib al-Kilani and Jurji Zaidan in Terms of Subject

Abstract

Literature involves emotional communication between the writer and the reader based on literary taste and artistic sensibilities. Also, it transforms into a medium through which the writer aims to influence and guide the reader according to his thoughts and ideas. Two productive authors of modern Egyptian literature, Najib al-Kilani (1931-1995) and Jurji Zaydan (1861-1914) have strived to establish a connection with their readers that encompasses both literary pleasure and artistic expression, as well as intellectual and ideological communication. In this study, a comparison has been made between the novels of these two authors. Najib al-Kilani, an Egyptian writer who conducted research and authored works on the theory of Islamic literature, defines Islamic literature as follows: "It addresses the subjects of humanity, the universe, life, and their relationships from an Islamic perspective beautifully and artistically." Having produced around eighty works across various literary genres, including novels, plays, poetry, and short stories, al-Kilani aimed to embody this perspective of Islamic literature in his writings. In this vein, he delved into Islamic history in some of his novels, seeking to instill a sense of historical awareness among Muslims, encouraging them to unite around their shared history. In another segment of his novels, he focused on the issues faced by contemporary Muslims, ranging from Palestine to Africa, Central Asia to the Far East, intending to draw the attention of Muslims worldwide to the suffering Muslim regions. Some of the author's works have been translated into Turkish. Another author whose works have been translated into Turkish is Jurji Zaydan. In addition to his articles published in al-Hilal for twenty-two years, he wrote works on history, the Arabic language, and social issues, and authored historical novels. Among them, Tarikh al-Tamaddun al-Islamiled to his appointment to the Chair of Islamic Studies at Cairo University. Zaydan has written around forty works in total. He has a stance that roots Arab nationalism in Islamic history, attributing the entire Islamic history as the heritage of the Arab nation. In most of his works, the influences of orientalists' perspectives on Islam and Islamic history are evident. In his novels focusing on the early period of Islamic history, he depicted the conflicts among Muslims. Whereas in those portraying later periods, Zaydan predominantly dealt with the conflicts, disputes, and dramatic events stemming from ethnic and sectarian differences. Both authors have chosen certain events from Islamic history and developments within Muslim societies as central themes in some of their novels, but they approached these subjects according to their individual priorities. We will conduct a comparative analysis examining four novels from each author. The information regarding the novels is concise and succinct. Therefore, the research highlights how the themes in these novels are portrayed by the two authors with different perspectives and bring the literature's influence on the intellectual world to the research community’s attention.