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How is science fiction from the Arab and Muslim world different than mainstream science fiction from the West? What distinctive and original contributions can it make? Why is it so often neglected in critical considerations of the genre? While other books have explored these questions, all have been from foreign academic voices. Instead, this book examines the nature, genesis, and history of Arabic and Muslim science fiction, as well as the challenges faced by its authors, in the authors' own words. These authors share their stories and struggles with censors, recalcitrant publishers, critics, the book market, and the literary establishment. Their uphill efforts, with critical contributions from academics, translators, and literary activists, will enlighten the sci-fi enthusiast and fill a gap in the history of science fiction. Topics covered range from culture shock to conflicts between tradition and modernity, proactive roles for female heroines, blind imitation of storytelling techniques, and language games.
List of contents
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments
Preface
Hosam A. Ibrahim Elzembely
Section I-Whose Science Fiction?
Introduction
Marcia Lynx Qualey
Dividing Lines: The World-View of Science Fiction
James E. Gunn
Section II-Local Voices: Essays and Interviews
¿¿North Africä¿
The Continuum: Four Waves of Egyptian Sci-Fi
Hosam A. Ibrahim Elzembely
Mapping the Maghreb: The History and Prospects of SF in the Arab West
Kawthar Ayed
The Mechanics of Writing Algerian SF: Resistance to the Speculative Tools
of the Trade
Faycel Lahmeur
Libyan SF: A Short Story in the Making
Abdulhakeem Amer Tweel
The Survival Guide to Egyptian Dystopia and Apocalypse: Post-Arab Spring Sci-Fi Comes of
Ahmed Salah Al-Mahdi
Mending the Egyptian Gap: A Case Study in the Problems Facing
Arab-Islamic Science Fiction
Emad El-Din Aysha
Morocco, Then and Now: The Struggle for Arabic Science Fiction
Mouad Bouyadou
Interview with Ziane Guedim: Prospecting the Next Generation of Algerian SF Writers
Egyptian Society for Science Fiction
¿¿The Levant¿¿
Science Fiction Literature: A Very Personal Journey
Taleb Omran
Interview with Jeremy Szal: Global and Local Imperatives in Lebanese Science Fiction
Egyptian Society for Science Fiction
The Arabs Haven't Given Up on Utopia Just Yet: The Nano-Ethics of Heaven on Earth
Fadi Zaghmout
The Story of Syrian SF: The Struggle for a Voice of Its
Mohammed Abdullah Alyasin
Exiled to the Future: Mental Hurdles on the Road Towards Palestinian Science Fiction
Emad El-Din Aysha
¿¿Gulf¿¿
An Eye on the Past, an Eye on the Future: Charting an Independent Course for Iranian
Zahra Jannessari-Ladani
The Family in Time: An Expatriate's Pilgrimage to a Better Future
Ibrahim Al-Marashi
Turning Youthful Curiosity into an Arab Growth Industry
Noura Al Noman
Pursuing the Imagination: One Kuwaiti's Experience with Science Fiction and Other Abnormals
Abdulwahab Al-Rifaee
Interview with Farkhondeh Fazel Bakhsheshi on Publishing Science Fiction in Iran
Egyptian Society for Science Fiction
An Interview from Kuwait: Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa, Creator of The 99, on Therapy, the Comics Industry, and Muslim Modernization
Egyptian Society for Science Fiction
SF for a Troubled Nation: An Interview from Yemen with Wajdi Muhammad Al-Ahdal
Egyptian Society for Science Fiction
Black Magic and Djinn in Omani Literature: Examining the Myths and Reality
Manar Al Hosni
¿¿Europe, Russia and Central Asiä¿
The Codex of Bosnian SF: Raspberries on the Edge of Chaos
Harun Šiljak
Science Fiction in Turkey: Skirting the Edge of a Remembered Future
Gamze G. Özf¿rat and ¿smail Yamanol
A Talk with Shamil Idiatullin: Muslims in the "Contracting" Universe of Post-Soviet
Egyptian Society for Science Fiction
Hamid Ismailov on the Remnants of Central Asian Fantasy and Science Fiction
Egyptian Society for Science Fiction
Perceiving Afghanistan: Abdulwakil Sulamal on Realism, Translation, and Fantastical Literature
Egyptian Society for Science Fiction
Falling in Love with Science Fiction: From Turkey to Tomorrow
Müfit Özde¿
Girlhood Dreams: An Interview with Funda Özlem ¿eran on the Necessity of Turkish Sci-Fi
Egyptian Society for Science Fiction
¿¿South Asiä¿
The Hero in All of Us: Saqib Sadiq on Muslim SF in the English Language Mirror
Egyptian Society for Science Fiction
The Indian Recipe for Good Science Fiction: Technology, Politics, and Religion
Sami Ahmad Khan
Muhammad Aurangzeb Ahmad: An Interview on Islam and Sci-Fi, AI Ethics, and Sustainable Development
Egyptian Society for Science Fiction
¿¿Africä¿
The Expanse of Mauritanian SF: Tuning French to a Future Informed by the Past
Moussa Ould Ebnou
From Arrakis to Senegal: The Science Fiction of Interfaith Dialogue and Spiritual Coexistence
Mame Bougouma Diene
Rafeeat Aliyu: Identity, Islam, and Women's Writing Meet in Afro-Futurism
Egyptian Society for Science Fiction
A Bird's-Eye View of the Comic Book Scene in Nigeria
Ashiru Muheez Afolabi
The Sudan and Genre Literature: Between Historical Speculation, Magic Realism, and Science Fiction
Amir Tag Elsir
¿¿Far East¿¿
Science Fiction: A Living Reality for Every Malaysian
Azrul Bin Jaini
Raising the Elements of Locality and the Moral Story in SF: An Attempt to Make SF a Classy Genre in Indonesia
Riawani Elyta
The Writer's Prerogative: An Interview from the Philippines with Kristine Ong Muslim
Egyptian Society for Science Fiction
Aditya Nugraha Wardhana on Indonesia's New Wave SF: Comics, Cartoons, and Leveraging Literature Between the East and West
Egyptian Society for Science Fiction
Section III-A Literature in Appraisal
Archiving the Future: A Conversation with Rebecca Hankins on the Fictional Frontiers of Muslim and African
Egyptian Society for Science Fiction
Under the Microscope: An Academic Appraisal of the Evolving Milieu of Arab
Barbara K. Dick
Between Two Traditions: A Testimonial on Translating Arabic Science Fiction Stories
Areeg Ibrah¿m
Conclusion
Hosam A. Ibrahim Elzembely
About the Contributors
Index
About the author
Hosam A. Ibrahim Elzembely is an accomplished science fiction author with three novels to his name and seven edited volumes of short stories published on behalf of the Egyptian Society for Science Fiction (ESSF). He is the director and founder of the ESSF and is also a medical practitioner and associate professor of ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Minia University, Egypt. He lives in Cairo, Egypt.Emad El-Din Aysha was formerly an adjunct assistant professor at the American University in Cairo. Currently he is a freelance journalist, translator, academic researcher and science fiction author with one anthology to his name, and a member of the ESSF and its chief translator.
