Men, Women, and Gods Nawal El Saadawi and Arab Feminist Poetics

"Nawal El Saadawi is one of the most important writers and bravest women of the twentieth century. Her work is vital to an understanding of the Arab world and of the struggle between men and women." --Alice Walker "An original and brilliant interpretation of the works for a leading Arab feminist." --Halim Barakat, author of The Arab World "An impressive and erudite book that offers significant interpretations of the work of one of the most important writers of the international community."—Susan Jeffords, University of Washington "In Fedwa Malti-Douglas, Nawal El Saadawi has found not only an Arab interpreter but also the one writer in the West capable of providing this systematic, lucid, and fascinating analysis of her lifework." --Hisham Sharabi, Georgetown University

Men, Women, and God(s) is a pioneering study of the Arab world's leading feminist and most controversial woman writer, Nawal El Saadawi. Author of plays, memoirs, and such novels as Woman at Point Zero and The Innocence of the Devil, El Saadawi has become well known in the West as well as in the Arab community for her unforgettable female heroes and explosive narratives, which boldly address sexual violence, female circumcision, theology, and other politically charged themes. Her outspoken feminism and critique of patriarchy have also earned her the wrath of repressive forces in the Middle East. Imprisoned in her native Egypt under Sadat, El Saadawi is now among those on the death lists of Islamic religious conservatives. In Men, Women, and God(s) Fedwa Malti-Douglas makes the work of this important but little-understood writer truly accessible. Contending that El Saadawi's texts cannot be read in isolation from their Islamic and Arabic heritage, Malti-Douglas draws upon a deep knowledge of classical and modern Arabic textual traditions—and on extensive conversations with Nawal El Saadawi—to place the writer within her cultural and historical context. With this impassioned and radical exegesis of El Saadawi's prolific output, Malti-Douglas has written a crucial study of one of the most controversial and influential writers of our time. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1995.