Speak, Bird, Speak Again: Palestinian Arab Folktales

by Ibrahim Muhawi and Sharif Kanaana

Book Overview

By combining their expertise in English literature and anthropology, Ibrahim Muhawi and Sharif Kanaana bring to these folktales an integral method of study that unites a sensitivity to language with a deep appreciation for culture.

As native Palestinians, the authors are well suited to their task. Over the course of several years, they collected tales from the regions of the Galilee, Gaza, and the West Bank, determining which were the most...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0520385845
• ISBN13: 9780520385849
• Release Date: November 2021
• Publisher: University of California Press
• Length: 464 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 5.0" x 7.7"

Customer Reviews

Please Read This Book

Please read this book. Strange to begin a review with an appeal. Here's why: There is great tension between the Arab-Muslim world and others, and this book offers insights other books won't offer you. The authors are themselves Arabs and scholars from the Middle East. The book's 48-page introduction offers a detailed peek into traditional, Muslim, Arab, peasant culture. The folktales in the anthology are delightful. They could be enjoyed by children and savored by adults. There are lighthearted humor, adventure, deep morals, glittering rewards, and, again, insights into Muslim life. If you liked Cinderella, in any of her retellings - and who doesn't like Cinderella - you'll love these tales. The Politically Correct Thought Police insist that any criticism of Islam must be condemned as that highly suspect, all too convenient neologism, "Islamophobia." The Politically Correct Thought Police are fully of baloney, and resistance to them is highest virtue. I am Spartacus, and you are, too. Of course you can critique Islam and still not hate Muslims, indeed can like and even love Muslims. How do I know? Many of my most beloved family members were not only Communist Party members, they were local leaders in the CP in (the then so named) Czechoslovakia. I criticized Communism. I marched in anti-Soviet demonstrations. And I loved my Communist relatives. They criticized my belief systems: capitalism, Western Democracy, Catholicism. And they loved me. Yes, you can critique a person's, or a polity's, belief system, and still like, love, or be peacefully indifferent to those who adhere to that belief system. In any case, yes, you should read Robert Spencer to understand what the mainstream press is not telling you about Islam. But you should also read this book to cultivate a genuine love of the aspirations, honor, complexity and full humanity of traditional, Muslim, Arab culture. Understanding its treatment of women is central to understanding Islam, and Muhawi and Kanaana offer deep and unapologetic insight into Islam's treatment of women. As the late, great folklore scholar Alan Dundes demonstrated, folklore reveals the suppressed desires of those who disseminate it. In Arab folktales, Muslim women reveal how they really feel about polygyny, the practice of one man taking more than one wife. Polygyny, the authors state, "more than any other institution or practice, represents the power of men over women" (14). Women are not happy with it, and in folktales told by women, polygynist husbands pay a price for their lack of fidelity to one wife. "In none of the tales is polygyny presented in a good light" (14). Muslim women reveal how they feel about the favoritism bestowed on male children. In the tales told by women, in contrast to real life, families celebrate the birth of daughters (18). In the tales, female characters reveal an intelligence, an adventurousness, an ability to solve problems, denied them in real life. As the authors put it: "The tal

Palestinian Folk Tales

Not what I expected, and definitely not fairy tales to be read to children - many sexual references. Heavy with footnotes as if possibly a dissertation project.

Wonderful Collection of Fairy Tales

This wonderful book introduces Palestinian culture to the world. In the footsteps of the brothers Grimm, Ibrahim Muhawi and Sharif Kanaana roamed all over Palestine collecting folktales from the old people. The major difference setting this work aside is highly methodical approach of its authors and the depth of their perceptions and analyses. Perhaps this is not surprising given their qualifications - one a leading Palestinian social scientist, the other a leading humanist. The tales were selected based on their popularity as well as their excellence, and so very much represent the culture they come from. The authors themselves exhibit a deep understanding of traditional Palestinian culture, which is transmitted to the reader in the introduction. Each tale is accompanied by a modest set of footnotes where necessary, commenting on linguistic features. Furthermore, every few tales are followed by a commentary section relating the tales to Palestinian culture, and a detailed folkloristic analysis section concludes the book. This gem of a book can thus be read on many levels, from the serious scholar in comparative folktales, to the student of Palestinian studies, to the ordinary parent wishing to read good stories to their kids. The book is structured such that the commentary and analysis sections can be safely skipped. Nevertheless, I found those sections quite fascinating and well-written, using easy to understand language but reflecting deep insight and understanding. The translation is excellent, making the tales sound as ordinary in English as they sound in the original Arabic. I have read other translations of Palestinian folktales (e.g. by Rafael Patai) that attempt a literal translation, and as a result, those translations sound extremely awkward in English and not fun to read. Speak Bird, Speak Again is also infinitely superior to Patai's book in its author's understanding of Palestinian culture and the colloquial Arabic language used (Patai makes many obvious mistakes in translating common idioms and expressions). Speak Bird Speak Again is therefore highly recommended to anyone with interest in Palestine or simply with a craving for good stories. The collection in this book represents the last versions of tales that are dying out as a result of the deep social and political changes that have affected Palestinian society as a result of Western colonialism.

Wonderful Collection of Fairy Tales

This wonderful book introduces Palestinian culture to the world. In the footsteps of the brothers Grimm, Ibrahim Muhawi and Sharif Kanaana roamed all over Palestine collecting folktales from the old people. The major difference setting this work aside is highly methodical approach of its authors and the depth of their perceptions and analyses. Perhaps this is not surprising given their qualifications - one a leading Palestinian social scientist, the other a leading humanist. The tales were selected based on their popularity as well as their excellence, and so very much represent the culture they come from. The authors themselves exhibit a deep understanding of traditional Palestinian culture, which is transmitted to the reader in the introduction. Each tale is accompanied by a modest set of footnotes where necessary, commenting on linguistic features. Furthermore, every few tales are followed by a commentary section relating the tales to Palestinian culture, and a detailed folkloristic analysis section concludes the book. This gem of a book can thus be read on many levels, from the serious scholar in comparative folktales, to the student of Palestinian studies, to the ordinary parent wishing to read good stories to their kids. The book is structured such that the commentary and analysis sections can be safely skipped. Nevertheless, I found those sections quite fascinating and well-written, using easy to understand language but reflecting deep insight and understanding. The translation is excellent, making the tales sound as ordinary in English as they sound in the original Arabic. I have read other translations of Palestinian folktales (e.g. by Rafael Patai) that attempt a literal translation, and as a result, those translations sound extremely awkward in English and not fun to read. Speak Bird, Speak Again is also infinitely superior to Patai's book in its author's understanding of Palestinian culture and the colloquial Arabic language used (Patai makes many obvious mistakes in translating common idioms and expressions). Speak Bird Speak Again is therefore highly recommended to anyone with interest in Palestine or simply with a craving for good stories. The collection in this book represents the last versions of tales that are dying out as a result of the deep social and political changes that have affected Palestinian society as a result of Western colonialism.

Symbolism

I am presently taking a graduate class, which deals with orientalism, and we are using this book as a reference. I found the introduction to be a wonderful insight into the Arabian mind. The stories are short, well written, and whimsical. I enjoy each story, in itself and also its symbolism with other stories in the book. There are also "Afterwords" that explain the complexities of the stories and the Arabian culture.