1988 – 1992 · London
Al-Naqid — The Critic
A monthly review that set the terms of Arabic literary criticism.
Introduction
The review
Al-Naqid was a London-based Arabic monthly of literary criticism, edited by Nouri al-Jarrah. It gathered the leading critics of its generation around a single conviction: that criticism is not commentary appended to literature but a form of writing in its own right. (Placeholder text — final editorial copy to follow.)
The mission
"Criticism is not a verdict passed on a text. It is the second life a text is granted when a reader takes it seriously."
History
London, 1988 – 1992
Founded in exile and distributed across Europe and the Arab world, the review ran for four years before publication ceased. Its issues remain a record of a decisive moment in Arabic letters. (Placeholder text.)
Notable contributors
A generation of Arab letters
- Edward Said
- Mahmoud Darwish
- Kamal Abu Deeb
- Subhi Hadidi
- George Tarabishi
- Khaldoun Al-Shamaa
Editorial principles
What the review stands for
ICriticism as writing, not as verdict.
IIIndependence from state and institutional patronage.
IIIA platform open to disagreement between critics.
IVAttention to the new text before the famous name.
From the archive