Novelist and Historian Adel S. Bishtawi

Adel  S. Bishtawi has been proclaimed "One of the most important contemporary Arab novelists." His first novel, Traces of a Tattoo, is considered "One the most beautiful Arab novels and bound to be a major landmark in contemporary Arab fiction." An English version of this novel will be published in 2008.

Bishtawi's second novel, Times of Death and Roses, was described by other critics as a "great fiction work". "With it," said one, "Mr. Bishtawi has succeeded in recording an entire epoch of history. For all that, he has assumed a distinguished status among Arab novelists and made the Times of Death and Roses a time of enjoyable reading."

In Traces of a Tattoo, the theme of he novel centres around a journey from death (Hisham's wife), to life (Wissam and Aroob). If this interpretation is correct, then Gardens of Despair takes the opposite direction and moves slowly but surely from life to death. Still, those who hold this view, may not have sufficiently realised that death was not offered by the novelist as a means by itself but rather as a means to life i.e. the determination of the heroine (Rasha) to have a child despite warnings that it may cost her life.

 

 
Martyrdom of the Andalusian Nation was said by a review published in Al Hayat Newspaper of London to provide a thorough analysis of historical facts in a lucid style. A new edition is scheduled for 2008 with an additional chapter co-authored by María Elvira Mesagarzazu, an old friend of the author and a recognised authority on the Moriscos.
A powerful and courageous book and now a bestseller
"What are the chances of the Arab Nation wrestling control of its destiny from the three main powers locking horns in the region to usurp the wealth and future of the Arab World: The Arab dictatorial regimes, Bush's America and the militants"? "Never been greater in the past 100 years," A. S. Bishtawi, author of History of Injustice in the Arab World, said in answer to journalists during the launch of his new book at the Sharjah International Book fair. "Through his totally unexpected moral, political and military failure in Iraq, US President George W. Bush did not just fail to uphold the high moral standards of the founding fathers of the United States of America but also failed all Arab dictatorial rulers who betted on a quick victory and provided him with all the support they could muster despite the opposition of the populace to the invasion and occupation of Iraq," he said.
Manifest Destiny of Imperial Decline – A History of American Injustice, Adel S. Bishtawi's new book, is a message of hope the author tries to convey even as he chronicles the killing and suffering in the Middle East since the mid-1950s. American policy in the Arab and Islamic worlds is responsibe for a great deal of suffering but Arabs are not blameless. Their vast oil wealth has presented Arabs with a historical opportunity to lead all Muslims toward a new age and pioneer the renewal of Islamic civilization, but this opportunity has not been realized. Rather than enriching the Arab and Islamic civilizations with a new Ibn Sina, Ibn Khaldoun and Averroes, the Arabs have contributed Osama Bin Laden, Al-Zawahiri, Al-Zarqawi, suicide bombers and experts in explosives, torture and beheading. We are all responsible for this tragic situation – the man of the street, regimes and intellectuals alike. The hope of the nation does not lie in an organization like Al Qaeda because it does not lie in terrorism. The emphasis by some on such organizations for salvation is nothing but a deliberate invitation for others to occupy the birthplace of the Arab nation, ensure its enslavement, and perpetuate injustice, oppression and tyranny.

Short Stories
Five new short stories are now available to the English reader including There Remains a Farewell, Home Graves and  A Travel Document to Hell that was inspired by a true story of a Palestinian refugee who was briefly known in the early 1980s as the "Flying Palestinian" as he was stranded in the transit lounges of a number of Arab airports waiting to be allowed to return to his distraught family in Beirut.

Arabic Version
Close to 100 articles, research papers, studies and features in Arabic are now ready to be viewed by readers at  http://www.creativityinwriting.com/ many of which are not in this site yet. The translation tool provided by Goggle offers a fast rendering of Arabic articles into 'rough' English. New poems appear to be popular with two in the first 5 most viewed items in the site.
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