Al Tatawwur
CategoriesLiterary magazine
FrequencyMonthly
FounderArt et Liberté
First issueJanuary 1940
Final issueJuly 1940
CountryEgypt
Based inCairo
LanguageArabic

Al Tatawwur (Arabic: تطور, lit. 'The Development') was an Arabic language literary and cultural magazine published in Egypt in the period January–July 1940. It was the first avant-garde, surrealist and Marxist-libertarian publication in the Arab world.[1][2]

History and profile

Al Tatawwur was started by a radical leftist group called Art et Liberté or al fann wa al hurriyya (Arts and Freedom in English) in 1940, and the first issue appeared in January that year.[1][2] The founder of the group was Kamel Telmissany which supported the revolutionary imagination and social freedom and had an anti-colonial stance.[2] Al Tatawwur was the successor of another magazine entitled Al Majalla Al Jadida which was established by Salama Moussa and published between 1929 and 1944.[2][3] The editor of Al Tatawwur was a surrealist intellectual, Anwar Kamel.[4] He declared the goals of the magazine in the first issue as follows: "to defend the freedom of art and culture, to spread modern literary works, and to Egyptian youth with international literary, artistic, and social movements."[3] The first issue also featured Arabic translations of the poems by the French surrealist Paul Éluard.[5]

During its short lifetime Al Tatawwur frequently covered topics such as prostitution, sex and women's sexual freedom.[2] The articles on women's sexual freedom were mostly written by Abdul Hamid Al Hadadi.[2] Other contributor was Faisal Abdul Rahman Shahbander.[2] Ramses Younan, a painter and writer, published art critics in the magazine.[6]

Al Tatawwur was published on a monthly basis until July 1940 when it folded after producing seven issues.[4] The magazine was closed down by the Egyptian authorities.[3] Following the closure of Al Tatawwur its editor Anwar Kamel was jailed due to his writings published in the magazine.[7]

References

  1. 1 2 Alexandra Dika Seggerman (2013). "Al-Tatawwur (Evolution): An Enhanced Timeline of Egyptian Surrealism". Dada/Surrealism. 19: 13. doi:10.17077/0084-9537.1269.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Laura Galián (2020). "Decolonising sexuality in Egypt: al-Tatawwur's struggle for liberation". Postcolonial Studies. 23 (2): 170–181. doi:10.1080/13688790.2020.1762289. S2CID 219444697.
  3. 1 2 3 Elisabeth Kendall (July 1997). "The Marginal Voice: Journals and the Avant-Garde in Egypt". Journal of Islamic Studies. 8 (2): 224–225. doi:10.1093/jis/8.2.216.
  4. 1 2 Don LaCoss (Spring 2010). "Egyptian Surrealism and "Degenerate Art" in 1939?". Arab Studies Journal. 18 (1): 105. JSTOR 27934079.
  5. ↑ Sam Bardaouil (2013). ""Dirty Dark Loud and Hysteric": The London and Paris Surrealist Exhibitions of the 1930s and the Exhibition Practices of the Art and Liberty Group in Cairo". Dada/Surrealism. 19 (6): 1–24. doi:10.17077/0084-9537.1273.
  6. ↑ Chihab El Khachab (2021). "A brief history of the future of culture in Egypt". Journal of the African Literature Association. 15 (3): 372. doi:10.1080/21674736.2021.1935065. S2CID 237823111.
  7. ↑ Patrick Kane (Winter 2010). "Art Education and the Emergence of Radical Art Movements in Egypt: The Surrealists and the Contemporary Arts Group, 1938–1951". The Journal of Aesthetic Education. 44 (4): 100. doi:10.5406/jaesteduc.44.4.0095.
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