Six years before the Egyptian revolution of January 2011, many young Egyptians had resorted to blogging as a means of self-expression and literary creativity. This resulted in the emergence of a new literary genre: the autofictional blog. Such blogs are explored here as forms of digital literature, combining literary analysis and interviews with the authors.
The blogs analysed give readers a glimpse into the daily lives, feelings and aspirations of the Egyptian youth who have pushed the country towards a cultural and political revolution. The narratives are also indicative of significant aesthetic and political developments taking place in Arabic literature and culture.
Key Features
- A pioneering study of Arabic digital literature
- Investigates blogs as the latest form of autobiographical writing in Arabic literature
- Sets out an innovative methodology for studying literary texts distributed on social media, opening new avenues for research
- Based on the study of forty blogs written from Egypt, six of which are analysed as detailed case studies
Teresa Pepe is Associate Professor of Middle East studies in the Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages, University of Oslo.