Characteristics of the Shortest Story Genre in Modern Arabic
Literature
Dilafruz Z. Mukhiddinova and Nargiza M. Saidova
Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Keywords: Story, Shortest Story, Parable, Anecdote, Wisdom, Image, New Wave, National Existentialism,
Mythologizing, Didactic, Method, Skill.
Abstract: This article describes the formation and specific features of the “shortest story” type in modern Arabic
literature. The “shortest story” in modern literature also varies in terms of subject matter. In them, daily life
events, human nature, relationships between people, human inner “I”, mental state, experiences or thoughts
about life and existence are revealed in a compact volume. While in traditional prose examples, advice and
instruction prevail, in the “shortest stories” the conclusion is referred to the reader, symbolic-metaphorical,
surrealistic images of modern reality, and factors that deeply reveal the human psyche are leading. The
“shortest story” type is very short stories written by Arab writers such as Jubron Halil Jubron, Najib Mahfuz,
Hima al-Muflih, Hakima al-Harbi, A'bir Khalid Yahya, Mahmoud Shuqair, Izzat al-Qamahawi, Yusuf Damra,
etc. formal and substantive features, style and skill issues are covered.
1 INTRODUCTION
New methodological and poetic research, which
began in modern Arabic storytelling, continued in the
70-80s of the twentieth century and led to the
emergence of new forms of expression of the social
and aesthetic realities of life in new historical
conditions. The more writers experimented with new
forms, the more readers became interested in their
work. If the storytellers’ attention is focused on the
inner spiritual aspects of a person’s life, then formal
changes are reflected in their size: stories consisting
of several sentences on two pages have become
widespread. Although this form of the story is not a
discovery of 20th-century story writers, the old
traditions have been revived and this form of the story
is called "
ﺍﺪﺟ ﺓﺮﻴﺼﻗ ﺔﺼﻗ “shortest story” in Arabic
literature. The root of this form of the story, like other
modern prose genres, goes back to the ancient Arabic
literary heritage. Parables, anecdotes, wisdom,
riddles, anecdotes, short stories, stories from the
ancient and medieval Arabic literature, as well as
stories from the Qur’anic surahs, sub-genres of
traditional storytelling became the basis for the
“shortest story” form of modern Arabic storytelling.
It should be noted that Arab writers who lived and
created in the Middle Ages, “Ziqnalar” ("
ءﻼﺨﺒﻟﺍ") of
Abu Usman Amr ibn Bahr al-Jahiz (776-868),
“Collection of Parables” of Abu Khayyan al-Tawhidi
(923-1023). ("
ﻝﺎﺜﻣﻷﺍ ﻊﻤﺠﻣ") and the works of other
writers created such small stories.
The “shortest story” in modern literature also
varies in terms of subject matter. In them, daily life
events, human nature, relationships between people,
human inner “I”, mental state, experiences or
thoughts about life and existence are revealed in a
compact volume. While in traditional prose samples,
advice and education prevail, in the “shortest stories”
the conclusion refers to the reader himself, symbolic-
metaphorical, surrealistic images of modern reality,
and factors that deeply reveal the human psyche are
leading.
In the practice of this narrative form, on the one hand,
the Arab literary heritage, and on the other hand, the
influence of world literature, that is, the literature of
Europe, America and Latin America, is significant.
Iraqi literary scholars Haysum Bihnam Bardiy,
Ibrahim Sabtiy, and Moroccan Dr. Jamil Hamdaviy
have special notes about this. Including Haysum
Bihnam Bardiy, “We can see the stories of a moment
in the “shortest stories” of the American writer Ernest
Hemingway, consisting of 6 sentences, published in
1925, and in the shortest stories of the same volume
of the Mexican writer Luis Filipimilui”, and Ibrahim
Sabtiy” In 1932, Nathalie Sarrot’s collection called
1590
Mukhiddinova, D. and Saidova, N.
Characteristics of the Shortest Story Genre in Modern Arabic Literature.
DOI: 10.5220/0012987100003882
Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
In Proceedings of the 2nd Pamir Transboundary Conference for Sustainable Societies (PAMIR-2 2023), pages 1590-1596
ISBN: 978-989-758-723-8
Proceedings Copyright © 2024 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda.

“Tropisms” ("ﻻﺎﻌﻔﻧﺍ") saw the world. The stories in
the collection attracted attention with their new look
in a small size. However, the structure, form, and
composition of the small stories created by N. Sarrot
are different from traditional style stories. This
collection of N. Sarrot was translated into Arabic in
the 70s of the last century. “After that, the shortest
stories in Arabic appeared on the pages of newspapers
and magazines as a result of N. Sarrot’s influence,”
he says. And the Moroccan scholar Jamil Hamdowi,
the “shortest story” form in Latin American literature,
including Julio Cortázar, Juan José Arnula, Julio Tori,
Adolfo Cosaras, Eduard Golyano, Roberto Bulyano,
Victoria Octombo, Borghis, Juan Bush, Augusto
Monterrey and others. They also used the experience
of such writers (Jameel Hamdawi, 2013).
2 THE MAIN RESULTS AND
FINDINGS
As can be seen from the definitions given above, Arab
literary scholars, in the process of researching the
“shortest story” form popularized in the 80s and 90s
of the 20th century, connect its roots to the mutual
literary influence and literary connections in the Arab
literary heritage and world literature. At the same
time, the famous Lebanese writer Jubron Khalil
Jubron, the founder of the Syrian- American school,
created this type of story in 1925-1930 (Markova,
1986).
According to Haysum Bihnam Bardi, an Iraqi
literary scholar and critic, the term “short story” in
Arabic literature - "ﺍﺪﺟ ﺓﺮﻴﺼﻗ ﺔﺼﻗ - was born in the 80s
of the last century as a result of the name “short story”
(literal translation “short story”). This new literary
genre led to an increase in names in Arabic. For
example, "ﺔﻀﻣﻮﻟﺍ ﺔﺼﻘﻟﺍ" – “a moment story”, " ﺔﺼﻘﻟﺍ
ﺔﻄﻘﻠﻟﺍ"– “frame story” or “found story”, " ﺓﺮﻴﺼﻘﻟﺍ ﺔﺼﻘﻟﺍ
ﺔﻳﺎﻐﻠﻟ"– “very short story”, "ﺔﻔﺜﻜﻤﻟﺍ ﺔﺼﻘﻟﺍ"– “condensed
story”, ﺔﻟﻮﺴﺒﻜﻟﺍ ﺔﺼﻘﻟﺍ""– “capsule story”, " ﺔﺣﻮﻠﻟﺍ
ﺔﻴﺼﺼﻘﻟﺍ"– “story board”, "ﺔﻴﺼﺼﻘﻟﺍ ﺓﺭﻮﺼﻟﺍ"–
“narrative picture”, "ﺔﻴﺼﺼﻘﻟﺍ ﺔﺘﻜﻨﻟﺍ" – “a poignant
story”, "ﺔﻴﺼﺼﻘﻟﺍ ﺮﺒﺨﻟﺍ"– “narrative message”, " ﺔﺼﻗ
ﺮﻌﺸﻟﺍ"– “poetic story”, "ﺔﻴﺼﺼﻘﻟﺍ ﺓﺮﻁﺎﺨﻟﺍ"– “memory
story”, "ﺓﺪﻳﺪﺠﻟﺍ ﺔﺼﻘﻟﺍ" – “a new story”, "ﺔﺜﻳﺪﺤﻟﺍ ﺔﺼﻘﻟﺍ"–
“a new story”, " ﺔﻴﺼﺼﻘﻟﺍ ﺔﻟﺎﺤﻟﺍ" – “narrative case”,
"ﺔﻴﺼﺼﻘﻟﺍ ﺓﺮﻣﺎﻐﻤﻟﺍ"– “adventure story”, " ﺓﺮﻴﺼﻘﻟﺍ ﺔﺼﻘﻟﺍ
ﺍﺪﺟ"– “the shortest story”, also, "ﻭﺮﺘﻤﻟﺍ ﺔﺼﻗ"– “metro
story”, "ﺞﻳﻭﺪﻨﺴﻟﺍ ﺔﺼﻗ" – “sandwich story”, " ﺔﺼﻘﻟﺍ
ﺔﻋﺮﺴﻟﺍ"– “urgent story” and other similar names. As
we can see, in Arabic literature, the new form of the
narrative genre, that is, the diversity in the names of
the smallest stories, is noticeable. Even from the point
of view of quick reading, these stories are prepared
and digested in an instant, at speed “sandwich”,
“hamburger”, “hotdog” –"ﺞﻳﻭﺪﻨﺴﻟﺍ ﺔﺼﻗ" – “sandwich
story”, – "ﺔﻋﺮﺴﻟﺍ ﺔﺼﻗ"– “urgent story” compared to
food, or “metro story”, a vehicle that delivers instant,
fast delivery to a destination – " ﺼﻗﻭﺮﺘﻤﻟﺍ ﺔ "– “metro
story” names can also be found.
"ﺍﺪﺟ ﺓﺮﻴﺼﻗ ﺔﺼﻗ" - “the shortest story”, If we look at
the development of the form in modern Arabic
literature, this type of story first appeared in Saudi
literature in the 70s of the 20th centuries. In Iraqi
literature, widely popular, and later appeared in Syria
from the Levant countries. The stories in the
collection “Horseshoe” (“ﻥﺎﺼﺣ ﺓﻭﺪﺣ “), published in
1974 by the Iraqi writer Busayna al-Nasiri, were
called “the shortest stories”, 5 short stories were also
included in Khalid Habib al-Rawi’s 1975 collection
“Night Train” ("ﻲﻠﻴﻠﻟﺍ ﺭﺎﻄﻘﻟﺍ"). In Palestinian literature,
Mahmoud Ali al-Said’s collection “Oq” ("ﺔﺻﺎﺻﺮﻟﺍ ")
published in 1979 uses the term “shortest story”. In
Syrian literature, Zakariya Tamer’s “Thunderbolt”
("ﺪﻋﺮﻟﺍ") published in 1970, Walid Ikhlasi’s “Horror
in the Furious Eye” ("ﺔﻴﺳﺎﻘﻟﺍ ﻥﻮﻴﻌﻟﺍ ﻲﻓ ﺔﺸﻫﺪﻟﺍ") published
in 1972, Nabil Haddad’s “Dance on the Surface”
published in 1976-("ﺔﺤﻄﺳﻷﺍ ﻕﻮﻓ ﺺﻗﺮﻟﺍ") collections
include the “shortest, smallest stories”. As we can see,
the first examples of this form of the story appeared
in the 70s of the 20th century, and from the 80s, they
began to appear in Egypt, the Maghreb (Algeria,
Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, Mauritania), and other
Arab countries in the Persian Gulf.
It should be noted that by the end of the 20th
century, the form of the “shortest story” appeared in
the entire world of literature (“very short story” or
‘short story” in English), in Russian literature “очень
короткий рассказ”(“ very short story”), in Persian
literature “достанак”( story), in Japanese literature “a
story in the palm of your hand”, in Turkish literature
“minimal story” (a little story) and etc), The
widespread popularization of this form of the story is,
firstly, the increase of desire from the traditional style
to the non-traditional style, the freedom of creativity,
the priority of the subjective approach of writers in
the work, and secondly, it is in tune with the times.
Today, in the era of increasing globalization, the
speed of science and technology, the speed of
information, the speed of electronic publication and
placement of short stories in a single issue of
newspapers and magazines, and the possibility of
posting short stories on the Internet, and without
spending much time on the part of readers. it is
possible to read it instantly and provide spiritual
nourishment.
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The form of the “shortest story” is characterized
by a dense arrangement of events, concentration of
thought, abstraction, play with text, frequent use of
metaphors, an unexpected solution to the ending,
fairy tales, philosophy, symbolism, and the artistic
language plays an extremely important role. The
modern short story type was formed in different styles
by each Arab writer. In Arabic storytelling, the form
of the “shortest story” is similar to a parable with
philosophical and didactic content, the visions of life
and existence are in the form of a fairy tale from the
eyes of children, and domestic and moral issues are in
the form of images, social issues are short, blunt,
realistic, symbolic and figurative. is taking shape in
the form of a story - Mukhiddinova D.Z (2015). From
the content point of view, the “shortest story” form
can be divided into the following types:
1. In its appearance similar to an exemplary story
(fable) with philosophical-metaphorical content.
2. Social issues in symbolic form.
3. Household and moral topics in symbolic form.
In Saudi literature today, a number of writers such
as Khalid Ahmed al-Yusuf, Tahir al-Zahrani, Abdul-
Jalil al-Hafiz, Hiyam al-Muflih, Wafa al-Umayr,
Shima Shamri, Hakima al-Harbiy are writing in the
“shortest story” genre. are doing.
Among them, the Saudi writer Hakima al-Harbi is
working productively in the form of “the shortest
story”. His stories are devoted to various topics. They
skilfully depict every moment and instant of domestic
and social events in human life. Hakima al-Harbi’s
short story “Beautiful Dreams” describes the heart
and desires of a person suffering from poverty:
“He would be oppressed by poverty, and
depressed, and the birds of dreams would fall to the
dry land and die again and again.
He could find neither rain nor grass to quench his
thirst”.
This story begins with such images, and the author
uses extremely sharp artistic similes to infuse a lot of
meaning under the short, blunt images. It is known
that the hero of the story is poor and poor through the
image of the sentence “poverty afflicts him”. At the
beginning of the story, the depressed mental state of
the hero is expressed through the arts of simile,
animation, and exaggeration, and the image of a
person whose dreams are broken is embodied.
“His heart began to thump with delight at the
morning bud, he longed for the fragrance of the rose,
he wanted to be the rose of his dry land and become
the child of his dreams, the blossoms of life bursting
inside him”.
During the story, the spiritual experiences of a
person, such as dreaming, and imagining the result of
the realization of his dreams, are reflected. It turns out
that the hero of the story dreams of having a big,
spacious house all his life from poverty.
There are no superfluous details in the story, all
the details are loaded into every word. The Situation,
reality, and psyche of the hero are embedded in every
sentence:
“He went to her one evening. The two of them
chatted quietly under the balcony of his room, near a
tree still covered with leaves. They drew a plan of
their life together and their beautiful dreams together.
In the morning... he woke up and saw a rope
hanging taut under his balcony with the hope of a
bright morning and a beautiful day, and at the end of
the rope was the head of his beloved”.
The ending of the story “Beautiful Dreams” is
reflected in the death of the main character’s loved
one. Such an unexpected ending is one of the
hallmarks of modern storytelling, leaving the
conclusion to the reader's reaction.
In the short story “Beautiful Dreams’, the
interpretation of social issues reflects the human
heart, dreams, depression, and lack of will, and has a
tragic tone.
Hakima al-Harbi’s short story “Freedom”
embodies the image of a person suffering in life.
From the title of this story, it is known that the story
is about freedom, freedom:
“He straightened up in front of the big gate. On
both sides of the gate stood two huge men, their
expression was extremely angry. He wiggled his
hands and fiddled with his fingers, trying to make
sure his hands weren't cuffed and that no one was
holding him anymore. Then he stepped forward. His
eyes met the scorching rays of today's bright, free
sun”.
Although the story does not give full details about
the hero's past life, it is known that the main character
was in prison only by the sentences “He straightened
up in front of the big gate”, “He tried to make sure
that his hands were not handcuffed and that no one
was holding him.” In the story, there is only one
image about the hero's past, and through this brief
image, the reader can imagine the dark events that
happened in the hero’s life:
“He ran against the wind, fearing that an ominous
hand would reach out from behind him, strangle him
by the throat, and drag him back into the dark, dayless
night”.
This image in the short story reveals that the hero
is being followed and taken to prison in handcuffs. In
the story, images such as “evil hand”, and “choke by
the throat” evoke thoughts of the hero being unjustly
imprisoned and unjustly oppressed. In this regard,
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Hakima al-Harbi used the power of words to the best
of her ability, infusing great meanings into each
sentence and phrase.
“The joy of freedom and the sun of freedom
reminded him of his beloved family and children. He
didn’t look back; he just took a step forward.
His eyes sparkled with both innocence and the joy
of true freedom”.
At the end of the story, the image of a freed, free-
willed person is skilfully depicted. Through the
images of the hero, his “jugs are also unblemished”
state of regret for the events is shown, the main thing
is that he is happy and proud that he is returning to his
family and children.
In the shortest, small stories, which look like a
parable with philosophical and didactic content,
reflections on life, human life, fate, existence, and
nature are reflected in a symbolic and figurative spirit.
In particular, the “shortest short story” form is of
particular importance in the work of the
contemporary Syrian writer A’bir Khalid Yahya[8].
The writer’s collection “Collections” (“ﺕﺎﻤﻠﻤﻟ”-
“Lammalamat”) consists of such stories. In every
story in it, life reality is imbued with a deep
philosophical spirit.
Dodging the projectile that would shorten his life,
he leaps at great speed, childhood spent in
orphanhood, adolescence in absence, manhood.
in poverty.
How do they reduce the Motherland?
They ask each other desperately.
The writer’s story “Kiskaruv” consisting of 5 lines
acquires a symbolic and metaphorical content, in
which the sad and pitiful situations in his homeland
are emphasized through the life of one person. Each
line of the story embodies a certain reality of life.
Each line describes a separate part of the hero’s life.
In the sentence “He runs at great speed, running away
from the projectile that will shorten his life”, the
symbol of the people fleeing from the wars in their
country was created. With this one sentence, the
author reflected on the situation in his homeland, and
the sad situation of the people, such as running away
from the bullets and looking for a place where there
are no bullets. The next line of the story shows the
reality of human life, which can be described in a
large novel, in short sentences such as “childhood
spent as an orphan, no adolescence, manhood in
poverty.” This sentence in the story embodies the life
of a person whose life has been full of difficulties.
Since the birth of the hero of the story, his life has
been spent in hardships and suffering. It’s as if he
didn't even notice that his life had passed so quickly
because of these difficulties. “...No adolescence,
manhood in poverty.” the phrase describes the
extreme hardship of an orphan’s life, the fact that he
did not know how his childhood and adolescence
passed during the struggle for survival, and that his
youth continued in poverty. In the last part of the story
“What do they reduce the Motherland with? They ask
each other in desperation”, the poet puts forward
bitter and anguished opinions. In this place, the writer
exaggeratedly expressed the difficult and sad
situation in his homeland, Syria. "How do they reduce
the Motherland? In the sentence, when everything in
this world is passing away, what do the evil forces
make a mess of the Motherland, through the sentence
“They ask each other in desperation”, and the people
who are suffering from wars and riots in their
homeland are worried about the destruction of their
homeland, and their hearts are deeply saddened and
worried. The writer’s short stories in a lyrical form
are similar in content to the short stories of another
Syrian writer, Jubron Khalil Jubron, Including, “A
slug said to his neighbour: “You know, I have an
unbearable pain in my stomach. It is heavy and round.
I was in trouble with him.
The second snail confidently answered:
“Greetings to heaven and sea, I do not feel any pain.
I am fine, healthy inside and out.
At that moment, a crab passed near them, and
hearing the conversation of the slugs, (says:) all is
well in terms of internal and external health, “Yes, it
is!” Your health is very good, but the pain in your
chest is a rare, rare disease.
In the story “Dur” by J.H. Jubron, the author refers
to the laws of life through the way of life of sea slugs.
The story acquires a philosophical meaning,
comparing goodness, goodness, luck, happiness, and
the fact that the truth cannot be easily achieved, that
good and noble deeds in life can be achieved with
difficulty and effort and that the result of patience is
a reward, comparing it to the thorn that appears with
pain and suffering made. It can also be observed in
the works of the contemporary Egyptian writer Izzat
al-Qamahawi. Izzat al-Qamakhawi, who started his
work in the second half of the 20th century, called his
shortest stories “images” (“ﺮﻳﻭﺎﺼﺘﻟﺍ”- “at image), and
in them, he described life events in the most concise,
riddle-like way, with connotations, and addressed
moral and household problems. focused on. He (the
man) looked, and she (the woman) also looked. He
smiled and she was happy, he greeted, and she
returned the greeting.
He said: You are the most beautiful woman in the
world.
He said: You are the most beautiful I have ever
seen.
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He wanted her and she (the woman) agreed to
him.
It was a lucky situation. He took her as his consort
and gave her a place in his harem. They broke up
unexpectedly. Their lives continued as usual, only
they stopped cheating.
This story of Izzat al-Qamahawi consists of six
sentences. In the story, the writer tries to describe
different types of relationships between people:
complex, fake and intimate relationships without
comments, excessive explanations, or details. I. al-
Qamahawi puts a lot of meaning into each short
sentence in his shortest stories, and the short plot
system in his works embodies the possibilities of a
large epic plot. In this story, Al-Qamahawi describes
the romantic and family relations between a man and
a woman, and moral issues, without excessive
comments and details, through short sentences and
dialogues. The sentence “only they stopped cheating”
at the end of the story reflects the bitter truth of the
insincerity of this relationship, the fact that it is not
based on real love, but only on the whims of human
nature, fleeting feelings. In this sense, it is no
coincidence that I. al-Qamahawi’s story ends with the
sentence “Only they stopped cheating.” Here, too, a
sharp, sharp solution is recommended without
excessive details and comments. It gives the shortest
story a stronger meaning and encourages the reader to
convey the writer's ultimate goal.
Egyptian writer, and Nobel Prize laureate Najib
Mahfuzam shows his skill in this form of the story in
“A Very Short Story” and philosophizes everyday life
events.
“On the shore
I feel myself between the sea and the desert.
I found it on the road.
I felt the impending danger of loneliness,
Far from me at this moment
I saw a woman who was not even close.
Its appearance and structure were not clear to me.
But I know or know him.
there was hope that it would be possible.
I walked towards him, but the distance between us
could not be reduced at all, could not be reached.
I called him by all kinds of names and titles.
He didn’t turn around. The evening came, and the
universe began to disappear. I can’t call him, I can’t
see him, I can’t walk.”
The main character of this story embodies the
image of a person who has lost a loved one, whose
heart is lonely, and who is thirsty for love. The writer
said, “I found myself on the road between the sea and
the desert. I felt the impending danger of loneliness,”
which showed the mental state of the hero through
short sentences. Dr. Jaudi Faris al-Batayina, a
Jordanian literary critic, shows that the characteristics
of the “shortest story” type are that it reflects the
reality in one space (for example, one paragraph), one
time (for example, one time and moment) in different
forms and structures. “Regardless of what issues and
problems are raised, describing their happening at the
same time and in the same place is one of the main
features of the shortest story,” he says. In this short
story, N. Mahfuz also describes a single moment, a
single moment, a single state of the human psyche in
a single space. In short, each sentence in the story is
loaded with a certain big socio-aesthetic meaning. In
the story, the state of the heart of a person who has
lost his love, he goes to the seashore in search of
comfort and compares the woman he sees to his love,
restoring them in our imagination in a relatively clear
and impressive way. Through the sentence “But I
hope that I can know or know her”, the writer
expresses the mental anguish of a lover who wishes
to make a strange woman like his beloved through the
longing agony of the hero or to make that strange
woman become his beloved. The last part of the story
is “Evening came, the universe began to disappear. I
can’t call him, I can’t see him, I can’t walk” The
sentences describe the hero’s loneliness and anguish.
The form of this story by N. Mahfuz is also described
in a lyrical way, in harmony with the content of the
work. Adib, like a poet, expressed the pain and
suffering of a lover in short sentences. N.Mahfuz in
his shortest short stories reflects human experiences
as well as philosophical observations and judgments
about life and life:
We greeted warmly, I sat next to her (woman).
Two old men sitting quietly under an old man's
umbrella. She (the woman) suddenly laughed and
said:
– What is shame at our age? Come, I’ll tell you.
In the story “White” by N. Mahfouz, it is shown
that people who have known each other since their
youth meet in old age without seeing each other for
many years. It is shown as an example to young
people that the manners, attitudes, and manners of
two elderly people have been preserved through their
relationship with each other.
The Syrian writer Hima al-Mufti is also working
productively in the form of “the shortest story”. His
stories are devoted to various topics. They skillfully
depict every moment and instant of domestic and
social events in human life.
The son followed in the footsteps of his father, and
the grandson followed in the footsteps of his father
and grandfather. After them, the grandson's son
followed him, followed by his grandson’s son. Family
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members travelled the same path, visited the same
places, encountered the same obstacles, endured the
same sufferings, and whoever lived with them came
to the same end.
Although many years have passed, the family has
been passed down through generations. But all of
them left footprints of only one person on the
ground”.
Hiyma al-Mufti’s story “Exact copy” has two
different meanings: One is the history of a family, that
is, life events such as generations following in the
footsteps of ancestors, generations continuing the
work of ancestors; secondly, it is understood that the
eternal, recurring destiny of mankind, such as coming
to this world, overcoming various difficulties in the
process of living, and passing away, belongs to all
mankind. The writer’s story “Protection’ is presented
in the form of an anecdote:
Fearing thieves, he surrounded the four sides of
his house with a wall and posted guards to prevent
anyone from approaching his house. Burglars are
pleased that they don’t have to go to the trouble of
breaking into this particular house, as there are many
legal doors to enter.
In this story, reminiscent of satirical anecdotes in
medieval Arabic literature, the relationship between
the thief and the owner of the house is based on
betrayal, deception, and lies. Through the phrase
“there are legal doors” in the text of the story, there is
a hint that there are spies and thieves among the
guards. That is why the writer indicates that the
thieves themselves were hired by the owner of the
house through the sentence “The thieves were pleased
that they did not have to go through the trouble of
breaking into this very house.” In the stories of Hyma
al-Mufti, word and text games, subtext features are
strongly reflected.
Mahmoud Shuqair, a contemporary Palestinian
writer living in Jordan, who began his work in the
second half of the 20th century, is also prolific in the
form of short stories. M. Shuqeyr’s stories are
extremely diverse according to the scope of the topic.
Acquaintance with some of their examples proves our
point.
He said: I am a boy, and she is a girl in puberty,
the girl is driving a mule. In a bag on a mule - wheat.
He is going to the mill, and I am going with him. Then
we’ll be back with some crushed wheat and a light
story.
In the story “Mill” M.Shuqair also used the
method of beginning with the sentence " ﻝﺎﻗ" – “He
said:” characteristic of medieval Arabic prose. In this
case, the writer reflected the main character’s speech,
that is, an image of an event from his language, in the
narrative. “Then we’ll come back with a threshed
wheat and a light story” emphasizes the continuation
of the story.
Jordanian writer Yusuf Damra’s short story form
is unique. Symbolism has a priority position in his
stories. The story of the writer “Heads” (”ﺱﻭﺅﺮﻟﺍ ar-
Ru’us”) confirms our opinion:
One after another, heads passed in front of me.
Heads suddenly jumped on the street.
At first, these things looked scary, but nothing
changed, the headless jussas continued on their way,
and each head jumped at the feet of its owner.
Everything looked funny, I laughed. I suddenly
panicked when I yelled, my voice came from under
my feet.
I thought the order of things would return.
I started to grab the head and lifted it between the
owner’s legs and put it on the shoulder of the other
jussa. Not much has changed, just a little.
Every time I put the head in a new jussa, I ran
away. Then I would look back and laugh. I could see
many differences, but these too became simple.
I grabbed one of the strange heads, then put it on
my shoulder, but the head kept bouncing between my
legs, I looked at myself through the window of the
store and panicked, there was nothing unusual!
In this story, Yusuf Damra tried to show some
types of people in the society by means of symbols,
metaphors and irony. The story is a prime example of
the modernist style. Firstly, both the content and the
idea are hidden in the story, it is abstract, is
characterized by ambiguity, and secondly, the style of
writing the story is new and complex, and symbolism
prevails in the expression and narration. Different
meanings are hidden in each line.
In the first and sixth sentences of the story, various
mistakes, bloodsheds, wars, riots, subversive actions,
and negative attitudes of people towards each other,
nature, and the earth are criticized. It is not accidental
that people are shown without a head, with their heads
under their two legs in the story. Through these, it is
symbolically, figuratively, and ironically reflecting
that people do not act wisely. Each line of the story
reflects a great meaning, “Everything looked funny, I
laughed. I suddenly panicked when I yelled, my voice
came from under my feet” Through the sentence, the
khaman, who is making fun of others, shows that he
is like them and emphasizes that he is one of them as
a life-artistic fact.
“I started to grab the head and lift it from between
the owner’s legs to place it on the shoulder of another
jussa. There is not much change” hidden in sharp
humour and sarcasm. By these sentences, the writer
meant the category of people who do not work with
Characteristics of the Shortest Story Genre in Modern Arabic Literature
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their own mind or their independent opinion, but with
the opinion of others.
Yu. Damra “Every time I put my head in a new
position, I ran away. “Then I would look back and
laugh” in the sentence that dealing with someone
else’s opinion is so lively that it is like the head can
be changed easily. Through the last sentences of the
story, the hero of the story has actually lost his
identity (by putting a foreign head on his head), and
the tragic situation is ironically shown for people who
live without any suffering from someone else’s
thoughts, someone else’s mind, and someone else’s
work, and who take it as a normal thing.
3 CONCLUSIONS
As we can see, the shortest narrative form in modern
Arabic literature covers the majority of talented and
skilled writers with its wide possibilities. At the same
time, it should be recognized that the form of the
“shortest story” appears in its own way in each Arab
writer. Contemporary Arab artists continue to
skilfully depict universal philosophical, moral, social,
and spiritual themes in a metaphorical, symbolic,
associative, and ironic way, even in the shortest form
of stories.
In these stories, on the one hand, the traditions of
medieval Arabic literature, on the other hand, enrich
the possibilities of the small genre, while enriching
the modern artistic and aesthetic principles. This type
of story made it possible to describe reality more
concisely without excessive details, create a system
of generalized images and create a unique,
complicated text. All this is the main factor in
increasing the burden and responsibility of the artistic
world.
REFERENCES
Website: www.m.ahewar.org > Essays > Ibrahim Sabti.
The Ordeal of the Very Short Story.
Website: www.alukah.net > Dr. Jameel Hamdawi. Studies
in the Very Short Story. 2013.
"Jubron Khalil Jubron" by the Russian orientalist V.
Markova (Selection) (Gibran Khalil Gibran. Favorites.
Translation from Arabic and English. – London:
Fiction, 1986. – P.3-22.)
Website: www.azzaman.com > Haitham Bahnam Burdi.
The Very Short Story: Iraqi Pioneering.
Website: www.alfaisalmag.com > Alfaisal. Khalid Ahmed
Al-Youssef. Astonishment of the Story. The Very Short
Story in Saudi Arabian Literature.
Mukhiddinova D.Z. The genre of the "very short story" in
modern Arabic literature. / Sociosfra No. 3, 2015. / P.
57-60.
Stories from the Arabic language translated by M.
Saydumarov.
Abir Khalid Yahya – born in 1967 in Tartus, Syria.
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