The importance of Tawfiq al-Hakim (1898-1989) to the emergence of a modern Arabic literature is second only to that of Naguib Mahfouz. If the latter...

The importance of Tawfiq al-Hakim (1898-1989) to the emergence of a modern Arabic literature is second only to that of Naguib Mahfouz. If the latter put the novel among the genres of writing that are now an accepted part of literary production in the Arab world today, Tawfiq al-Hakim is recognized as the undisputed creator of a literature of the theater.