Development of the Arabic periodical press and its role in the literary life of Egypt, 1798- 1882

Abstract

This study surveys the development of the Arabic periodical press, both magazines and newspapers, from the arrival of the French expeditionary force in 1798 to the ᶜUrabi revolt in 1882. A descriptive analysis is then made of the role of the press in the literary life of Egypt throughout this period. The Arabic printing press and the first journals were established by the French, and it was they who published the first works of Arabic literature in the periodical press. Nearly thirty years later the first Arabic newspaper was founded, but neither official journals nor the government printing press at Bulaq facilitated the publication of works of Arabic literature. Press activities, both Arabic and European, are then traced in the reigns of Muhammad ᶜAli, ᶜAbbas I and Muhammad Saᶜid. Under the rule of Ismaᶜil the periodical press came of age and continued to develop under his successor, Tawfiq, especially after Syrian journalists became actived in the Egyptian press towards the end of Ismaᶜil 's reign. The growth of the European theatre in Egypt and the attention it received in the Egyptian press is analysed. The press then lent its support to vain attempts to establish a native Egyptian and later a Syrian Arab theatre in Egypt, in which many journalists played an active role. The press also played its part in the introduction of another new literary genre, the novel. Through feuilletons Egyptian readers discovered the European novel. Of the traditional literary forms, the press helped maintain the tradition of maqama writing and allowed major and minor Egyptian poets to bring their conventional panegyrics to the public's eye. Though there was no literary press as such, the magazines and general newspapers that appeared played a significant role in the totality of Egyptian literary life.