Artistic Prose in the Fourth Century (Part One)

This book presents a comprehensive view of the course of artistic prose, revealing its development from the pre-Islamic era to the fourth century AH, highlighting its characteristics and most prominent figures. The author explores the depths of this art form, tracing its emergence and purely Arab origins, refuting claims that it was influenced by foreign cultures. The analysis addresses the emergence of rhyme, duality, and artistic imagery in literary texts, tracing their evolution from rhetoric to narrative arts. It also revisits many issues that have sparked widespread controversy, such as Ibn Duraid's contribution to the creation of the Arabic short story and his precedence over Ibn Shahid in writing "Al-Tawabi' wa Al-Zawabi'" (The Followers and the Whirlwinds) before Al-Ma'arri wrote "The Epistle of Forgiveness." This work revives figures whose pages have been forgotten in history books, such as Abu Al-Mughira ibn Hazm, and reveals literary texts that have been wronged and neglected, such as Ibn Hazm's Book on Love, which sparked widespread intellectual controversy upon its publication. It also examines maqamat, literary chronicles, and literary stories, analyzing their artistic styles and their impact on the development of Arabic prose. This research constitutes a literary reference that sheds light on heritage from a new perspective, offering a critical analysis that reconsiders prevailing concepts and does justice to texts that have been neglected despite their pivotal role in the development of Arabic creativity.