Research Information System
SIRNAK UNIVERSITY JOURNAL OF DIVINITY FACULTY, no.38, pp.392-412, 2025 (ESCI, TRDizin)
This study examines the emergence and development of the epistolary novel in modern Arabic literature. The epistolary novel is a distinctive narrative form in which events and characters are conveyed through the exchange of letters, the narrator's perspective becomes personalized, and the reader gains direct access to the inner world of the characters. Although this genre emerged in the West in the 18th century, it was adopted relatively late in Arabic literature. The pioneer of the genre in the Arab world is the Egyptian author Muhammad Abdulhalim Abdullah, whose novel Ibrisim aw Gharam Ha'ir was published posthumously in 1977. Structured around the correspondence between three characters, the novel explores themes such as love, betrayal, friendship, loyalty, and the relationship between society and the individual. The narrative is constructed in the first person, and the characters' internal conflicts and emotional analyses are reflected with an aesthetic style. The study also highlights the diversity of the genre in Arabic literature by presenting examples such as Shay'un f & icirc; Sadr & icirc; by Ihsan Abdul Quddus, Alzheimer by Ghazi Al-Qusaibi, Barid al-Layl by Hoda Barakat, Juz'un min Hulm by Abdullah Al-Jefri, and Banat al-Riyadh by Rajaa Alsanea. Notably, Barakat's novel, built upon unsent letters, effectively addresses themes of war, exile, and identity, and won the 2019 International Prize for Arabic Fiction. The article demonstrates that the epistolary novel in Arabic literature was not merely borrowed from the West in form but was shaped in harmony with the classical traditions of ris & acirc;la, kit & acirc;b, and khit & acirc;b. In this respect, the epistolary novel is evaluated as a powerful and multilayered narrative form capable of dealing with both individual and social themes. The study also holds significance as one of the first comprehensive studies in this field in Turkey. Carrying a bibliographical quality as well, this research aims to serve as a reference for future studies on the epistolary novel. Moreover, due to its status as the first example, Ibrisim aw Gharam Ha'ir is analyzed separately in terms of content, language, and style.