In this Book
- The Book of Khalid: A Critical Edition
- Book
- 2016
- Published by: Syracuse University Press
First published in 1911, Ameen Rihani’s Book of Khalid is widely considered the first Arab American novel. The semi autobiographical work chronicles the adventures of two young men, Khalid and Shakib, who leave Lebanon for the United States to find work as peddlers in Lower Manhattan. After mixed success at immersing themselves in American culture, the two return to the Middle East at a time of turmoil following the Young Turk Revolution in the Ottoman Empire. Khalid attempts to integrate his Western experiences with Eastern spiritual values, becoming an absurd, yet all too serious, combination of political revolutionary and prophet. The Book of Khalid offers readers a heady mix of picaresque, philosophical dialogue, and immigrant story.
In this critical edition, Fine includes the text of the original 1911 edition, a substantial glossary, and supplemental essays by leading Rihani scholars. Demonstrating the reach and significance of the work, these essays address a variety of themes, including Rihani’s creative influences, philosophical elements, and the historical context of the novel. Attracting a new generation of readers to Rihani’s innovative work, this edition reveals his continued resonance with contemporary Arab American literature.
Table of Contents
- Title Page, Copyright
- pp. ii-iv
- Introduction
- pp. 1-14
- The Book of Khalid
- Al-Fatihah
- pp. 16-20
- Book the First: In the Exchange
- pp. 21-22
- I. Probing the Trivial
- pp. 23-28
- II. The City of Baal
- pp. 29-35
- III. Via Dolorosa
- pp. 36-41
- IV. On the Wharf of Enchantment
- pp. 42-49
- V. The Cellar of the Soul
- pp. 50-58
- VI. The Summer Afternoon of a Sham
- pp. 59-66
- VII. In the Twilight of an Idea
- pp. 67-75
- VIII. With the Huris
- pp. 76-82
- Book the Second: In the Temple:
- pp. 83-84
- I. The Dowry of Democracy
- pp. 85-95
- II. Subtranscendental
- pp. 96-102
- III. The False Dawn
- pp. 103-106
- IV. The Last Star
- pp. 107-115
- V. Priesto-Parental
- pp. 116-122
- VI. Flounces and Ruffles
- pp. 123-131
- VII. The Howdaj of Falsehood
- pp. 132-140
- VIII. The Kaaba of Solitude
- pp. 141-148
- IX. Signs of the Hermit
- pp. 149-154
- X. The Vineyard in the Kaaba
- pp. 155-162
- Book the Third: In Kulmakan
- pp. 163-164
- I. The Disentanglement of the Me
- pp. 165-172
- II. The Voice of the Dawn
- pp. 173-177
- III. The Self Ecstatic
- pp. 178-184
- IV. On the Open Highway
- pp. 185-200
- V. Union and Progress
- pp. 201-209
- VI. Revolutions Within and Without
- pp. 210-217
- VII. A Dream of Empire
- pp. 218-226
- VIII. Adumbrations
- pp. 227-235
- IX. The Stoning and Flight
- pp. 236-241
- X. The Desert
- pp. 242-246
- Al-Khatimah
- pp. 247-252
- List of Emendations
- pp. 253-258
- Historical Context
- Literary Influences
- Themes and Significance
- 7. Ameen Rihani’s Intercultural Vision
- pp. 401-416
- Works Cited
- pp. 501-514
- Contributors
- pp. 515-518