&sq=&lang=&file=File:The_Hostage_(novel).jpg) The Hostage (1994 English language edition) | |
| Author | Zayd Mutee' Dammaj |
|---|---|
| Original title | الرهينة |
| Translator | May Jayyusi and Christopher Tingley |
| Language | Arabic |
| Genre | Novel |
| Publisher | Interlink (Eng. trans.) |
Publication date | 1984 |
| Publication place | Yemen |
Published in English | 1994 |
Al-Rahinah or The Hostage is a 1984 novel by Yemeni writer Zayd Mutee' Dammaj. It was selected by the Arab Writers Union as one of the 100 best Arabic novels of the 20th century.[1] The novel has been translated into French, English (by May Jayyusi and Christopher Tingley),[2] German, Russian and Hindi, and is regarded as among the most famous Yemeni novels.
The Hostage has been described as "portray[ing] the domestic space in the Yemeni pre-revolutionary era and its attendant issues of suffering, suppression, hegemony, dictatorship and oppression of an autocratic ruling family."[3]
The novel is written in a straightforward, narrative style. It is indirectly critical of Yemen's political situation at the time, namely the absolutist, arbitrary form of governance, corruption, and lack of development during the reign of Imam Yahya. Dammaj's father was a prominent critic of Imam Yahya and his son and successor, Imam Ahmad; and a founder of the Free Yemeni Party, a liberal opposition movement mentioned several times in the book.
- ^ Listing of the 100 best Arabic novels on the Arablit blog
- ^ Dammāj, Zayd Muṭīʻ "The hostage: a novel" ("Al-Rahinah", English tr.: May; Tingley, Christopher. 1994.) Interlink Pub Group Inc. ISBN 978-1-56656-140-2. (Google books)
- ^ Al-Wadhaf, Yahya Hassan; Manqoush, Riyad Abdurahman (2021). "Zayd Mutee Dammaj's Short Story "A Woman" and the Concept of the Gaze: a Critical and Contextual Reading". Journal of Amran University (1): 311–318. Retrieved 11 July 2023.