A Reading in -Arab Women Writers: An Anthology Of Short Stories - - Part Eight

In the last part of the anthology, we are eight short stories depicting the conflict between past and present, and the conflict between the different generations, as well as about the achievements of women, their fighting to defend themselves-;- and how marriage might be an obstacle in the face of achievement in many cases.

In “The Breeze of Youth” by the Syrian author Ulfat Al-Idlibi, we read about the contradictions of a grandmother blaming her liberal granddaughter of all the problems in the world, considering women freedom as a source for God’s curses, but at the same time, she felt angry remembering the persecution visited on her by her extreme father. She went back to old memories-;- and how she experienced a hopeless love from behind her veil. She then felt jealous of her neighbor Umm Anton and decided to try the makeup of her granddaughter, but she used it in a complete wrong way, because she never used it in her life when her father was telling her about women hanging from their hairs in hell because they showed their attractions. The story is perfect and showing the huge difference between past and present in the east.

In “A Successful Woman” by the Egyptian author Suhayr Al-Qalamawi, we read on the insistence of a woman from a village to live on her own, and thus started to work as a hairdresser in Cairo. She experiences a lost love-;- and returned to village, but she realized that she could not bear the life there anymore. She returned to Cairo to work on her own, and started her own salon. The story wants to show us how women can change, but still she saw us her worries because she has no husband and family.

In “in need for reassurance” by the Egyptian author Radwa Ashour, we read on generations’ conflict, when a grandfather visits his granddaughter college to make sure of her conduct and behavior. The student was childish, still she felt embarrassed to see her grandfather willing to copy her timetable to make sure if she was attending classes.

In “Short and Sassy” by the Tunisian author Nafila Dahab, we read a short text on the disappearance of differences between women and men styles, and the eagerness of people to pursue joy, and how time is short for living, but long when they want to entertain themselves.

In “The collapse of Barriers” by the Palestinian author Samiya At’ut, we read on the disappearance of social, economic and age differences between a rich young woman, and the old life operator when the list stops working. Everything disappeared in those few minutes except that she is a woman and he is a man. However, everything returns to its previous condition, when the lift works, and she asked him to move to the floor she seeks in the tone of a master.

In “The beginning” by the Egyptian author Salwa Bakr, we read on the suffers of a married working woman, her suffers in the transportation, in the job, and in her doing her housework, moreover she was experiencing domestic violence. The story depicts how she was forgiving her husband after each beating, and how she was getting fat after marriage. Here, she started to rebel, and beat her husband instead of crying and hiding in her room. She decided to defend herself.

In “A moment of contemplation” by the Moroccan author Nuzha Bin Sulayman, we read on the joy of love, and two lovers reuniting in front of a lady who was going to the beach to escape from her domestic problems, that scene was a call for her to return to her home and forget all about their quarrels and misunderstanding.

In “I will try tomorrow” by the Egyptian author Mona Ragab, we read about the difficulties a married write face to find the time for her passion and hobby. It is about the obstacles marriage put in front of women to succeed and achieve their own position in society.

Rate the article
Bad	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Very good
Result : 53%							Participated in the vote : 3