Tampera, Finland: The Finnish-Arab Cultural Center “Al-Tnoor” headed by the Iraqi writer Abbas Dakhil Hassan, has proudly released the first English edition of the novel )Oblivion Saved Her) by the esteemed writer Dr. Sanaa Shalan (Bint Naima).
This edition, translated by the Jordanian academic Mushira S. Talafha, is titled Oblivion Saved Her and spans 311 pages of medium-sized print.
Previously, the novel had multiple editions in Arabic and has become a rich subject for studies, research papers, and critical discussions both in the Arab world and globally. The novel is noted for its thought-provoking and controversial intellectual, human, and societal themes. (Oblivion Saved Her) is an epic novel intertwined with various times and places within complex narrative structures. It is a harmonious and interwoven blend of novel, biography, prose, and supporting poetic texts. The story is told from the perspective of multiple narrators. There is the omniscient narrator who recounts events sequentially, alongside the partial narrator “Barbara,” who takes on the role of the omniscient narrator for this function. Additionally, the hero narrator “Al-Dahhak” and the heroine narrator “Bahaa” alternate in narrating within these overlapping time frames.
The internal structure of the novel presents a historical and temporal panorama of the Arab region and the Arab individual within a large system of relationships and their dynamics. This novel tells the story of the protagonist, “Bahaa,” and her struggles in a difficult life marked by poverty and orphanhood. It then delves into her experiences battling brain cancer, which begins to erode her memory. Concurrently, she encounters her lost love, “Al-Dahhak,” by chance, who decides to stand by her side during this crisis.
The events of the novel unfold within intertwined retrospective and prospective timelines, presenting us with a complete narrative fabric that encompasses the protagonists and their complex, intertwined lives. This narrative reveals their individual human experiences while simultaneously shedding light on the collective human experience in both the Arab and Western worlds.
Regarding the English edition of the novel, translator Mushira S. Talafha stated: “I chose to translate )Oblivion Saved Her) into English because I wanted to be the first to introduce this distinguished Arab feminist literary work to English-speaking readers worldwide. I see this work as a unique narrative experiment that delves into innovative and modern narrative techniques. It presents a complex human experience, portraying the life of the oppressed in contemporary worlds, especially in the Arab world. The novel achieves this through a blend of themes related to the alienation of contemporary humans and the techniques of magical realism. Additionally, it capitalizes on the unique narrative style of the author, Sanaa Shalan.”
Author Sanaa Shalan expressed her pride in the translation, stating: “I am proud of this translation, which represents an important creative partnership between myself and the esteemed academic translator Mushira S. Talafha, as well as the Finnish-Arab Cultural Center “Al-Tnoor, headed by the Iraqi writer Abbas Dakhil Hassan. This partnership brings this narrative experience to English-speaking readers and introduces it to the global literary scene. It is a unique narrative that delves into nightmarish worlds denouncing societal collapse and its symbols amidst bloody human events that oppress and crush human existence, elevating corruption, destruction, injustice, and oppression. This novel is a cry of pain in the face of ugliness, downfall, and decay, yet it also triumphs in love, goodness, and truth despite the labyrinths and constraints of reality and its corruption.”
Publisher and critic Abbas Dakhil Hassan, head of the Finnish-Arab Cultural Center “Al-Tnoor” commented on the translation, saying: “This is a new venture for ‘Al-Tanour’ in translating contemporary Arabic literature into English to present Arab creativity and its creators to English-speaking readers. We are proud to publish the first English edition of this novel, following our honor of releasing its second Arabic edition in 2021. It is a novel of love, crushed destinies, alienation, deprivation, victims of declared and hidden wars, and confessions. The novel possesses all the elements of both subjective and objective success. Importantly, it represents a new form within the current Arab literary scene, requiring multiple readings. I am confident it will achieve its creative merit among readers and those interested in Arab literature.”
