Looking back at al-Andalus : : the poetics of loss and nostalgia in medieval Arabic and Hebrew literature / / by Alexander E. Elinson.

• Superior document: Brill studies in Middle Eastern literatures, v. 34
• Author: Elinson, Alexander E.
• Year of Publication: 2009
• Edition: 1st ed.
• Language: English
• Series: Brill studies in Middle Eastern literatures ; v. 34.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (200 p.)
• Notes: Description based upon print version of record.

Looking Back at al-Andalus focuses on Arabic and Hebrew Literature that expresses the loss of al-Andalus from multiple vantage points. In doing so, this book examines the definition of al-Andalus’ literary borders, the reconstruction of which navigates between traditional generic formulations and actual political, military and cultural challenges. By looking at a variety of genres, the book shows that literature aiming to recall and define al-Andalus expresses a series of symbolic literary objects more than a geographic and political entity fixed in a single time and place. Looking Back at al-Andalus offers a unique examination into the role of memory, language, and subjectivity in presenting a series of interpretations of what al-Andalus represented to different writers at different historical-cultural moments.

Table of Contents

The poetics of loss and nostalgia in Muslim Spain -- Written in stone : the Andalusi ritha al-mudun in the Arabic elegiac tradition -- Weeping over the poetic past : poetry into prose in al-Saraqusti's Qayrawan maqama -- Al-Andalus and Sefarad in the Hebrew qasida -- The view from al-Andalus : looking east, west, and south for Andalusi identity -- A final look back -- Appendix: Select Arabic and Hebrew texts.