Nationalism, Islam and world literature : sites of confluence in the writings of Mahmud al-Mas'adi / Mohamed-Salah Omri ; foreword by Tayeb Salib.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

The colonial predicament and the burden of representation -- The allure of turath -- The appeal of the sublime : tragedy and the Qurʼan -- The call of the beyond : Sufism as poetics and worldview -- Conclusion -- Appendix 1: The building is cracking? (1951) -- Appendix 2: al-Sudd (The dam), scene four -- Appendix 3: (The clay)

The writer and politician Mahmud al-Mis{u2019}adi is a figure of prime importance in the development of North African literature and cultural politics since the last war. This fascinating book covers both his essays and fiction, written between the 1930s and 1990s, which challenge the boundaries between the sacred and irreligious in the Islamic world. In addition, it also examines Arabic literature and its relationship to the West.