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Roger Allen is an
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national id ...
scholar of
Arabic literature Arabic literature ( ar, الأدب العربي / ALA-LC: ''al-Adab al-‘Arabī'') is the writing, both as prose and poetry, produced by writers in the Arabic language. The Arabic word used for literature is '' Adab'', which is derived from ...
.Bio
/ref> He was the first student at
Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
to obtain a
PhD degree A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...
in
modern Arabic literature The instance that marked the shift in the whole of Arabic literature towards modern Arabic literature can be attributed to the Arab World-West contact during the 19th and early 20th century. This contact resulted in the gradual replacement of Cla ...
, which he did under the supervision of
Muhammad Mustafa Badawi Mohammed Mustafa Badawi ( ar, محمد مصطفى بدوي, ; 10 June 1925 – 19 April 2012) was a scholar of English and Arabic literature. He was a Research Fellow of St. Antony's College at the University of Oxford from 1967 to 1969, and was t ...
. His
doctoral thesis A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144 ...
was on
Muhammad al-Muwaylihi Muḥammad al-Muwayliḥī (; died 1930) was an Egyptian author and journalist of the Nahda. He edited and published '' Fatra Min az-Zamān'', a serialized literary work of social and political satire, compiled and published as a book entitled ...
’s narrative ''Hadith Isa ibn Hisham'' (''Isa Ibn Hisham’s Tale''), and was later published as a book titled ''A Period of Time'' (1974, 1992). At the request of Dr Gaber Asfour, the Director-General of the
Supreme Council for Culture Supreme may refer to: Entertainment * Supreme (character), a comic book superhero * ''Supreme'' (film), a 2016 Telugu film * Supreme (producer), hip-hop record producer * "Supreme" (song), a 2000 song by Robbie Williams * The Supremes, Motown-e ...
in Egypt, he later prepared an edition of the complete works of Muhammad al-Muwaylihi (2002), and that of his father,
Ibrahim al-Muwaylihi Ibrahim ( ar, إبراهيم, links=no ') is the Arabic name for Abraham, a Biblical patriarch and prophet in Islam. For the Islamic view of Ibrahim, see Abraham in Islam. Ibrahim may also refer to: * Ibrahim (name), a name (and list of people ...
(2007). In 1968, Allen moved from
Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city i ...
to
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
to take up an academic position at the
University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universit ...
, where he subsequently taught generations of students and Arabic scholars. He co-wrote an Arabic textbook with
Adel Allouche Adel may refer to: Places United States * Adel, Georgia * Adel, Indiana * Adel, Iowa * Adel Township, Dallas County, Iowa * Adel, Oklahoma * Adel, Oregon * Adel Mountains Volcanic Field, West-central Montana Elsewhere * Adelaide, Austra ...
, and was engaged with Arabic
pedagogy Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken ...
throughout his career. After a 43-year career at UPenn, he retired in 2011, serving as chair of the Department of Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations for the last six years. As a translator, Allen has brought forth into English numerous works of contemporary Arabic literature, a list of which is given below. His translations of
Naguib Mahfouz Naguib Mahfouz Abdelaziz Ibrahim Ahmed Al-Basha ( arz, نجيب محفوظ عبد العزيز ابراهيم احمد الباشا, ; 11 December 1911 – 30 August 2006) was an Egyptian writer who won the 1988 Nobel Prize in Literature. M ...
were instrumental in bringing the Egyptian writer to global attention, and Allen also played a critical role in the nomination process that eventually led to Mahfouz winning the
Nobel Prize in Literature ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , caption = , awarded_for = Outstanding contributions in literature , presenter = Swedish Academy , holder = Annie Ernaux (2022) , location = Stockholm, Sweden , year = 1901 ...
in 1988. * Naguib Mahfouz, God’s World (1973, in conjunction with Akef Abadir) * Naguib Mahfouz, Autumn Quail (1985) * Naguib Mahfouz, Mirrors (1977, 1999) * Naguib Mahfouz, Karnak Café (2007) * Naguib Mahfouz, Khan al-Khalili (2008) * Naguib Mahfouz, One Hour Left (2010) *
Jabra Ibrahim Jabra Jabra Ibrahim Jabra (28 August 1919 – 12 December 1994) ( ar, جبرا ابراهيم جبرا) was a Iraqi-Palestinian author, artist and intellectual born in Adana in French-occupied Cilicia to a Syriac Orthodox Christian family. His fami ...
, The Ship (in conjunction with Adnan Haydar) * Jabra Ibrahim Jabra, In Search of Walid Masoud (in conjunction with Adnan Haydar) *
Yusuf Idris Yusuf Idris, also Yusif Idris ( ar, يوسف إدريس) (May 19, 1927 – August 1, 1991) was an Egyptian writer of plays, short stories, and novels. Biography Idris was born in Faqous. He originally trained to be a doctor, studying at the ...
, In the Eye of the Beholder * Abd al-rahman Munif, Endings * Mayy Telmissany, Dunyazad * BenSalim Himmich, The Polymath (2004) * BenSalim Himmich, The Theocrat (2005) * Ahmad al-Tawfiq, Abu Musa’s Women Neighbors (2006) *
Hanan al-Shaykh Hanan al-Shaykh ( ar, حنان الشيخ; born 12 November 1945, Beirut) is a Lebanese author of contemporary literature. Biography Hanan al-Shaykh was born Beirut, Lebanon, in 1945, into a strict Shi'a family. Her father and brother exerte ...
, The Locust and the Bird (2009) One of his key works is ''The Arabic Novel: an historical and critical introduction'' (1st edition 1982), which initially took the form of a series of lectures at the
University of Manchester The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The university owns and operates majo ...
. He also wrote a book on the Arabic literary tradition as a whole, titled ''The Arabic Literary Heritage'' (1998), which later appeared in shortened paperback format under the title ''An Introduction to Arabic Literature'', which was itself translated into Arabic and published in Cairo in 2003. This is now regarded as the standard work in the field. For the series ''The Cambridge History of Arabic Literature'', he edited the volume spanning 1150 to 1850, which was titled ''The Post-Classical Period'' (2006). He has contributed to many other scholarly ventures in his field. Beyond UPenn, he has been involved in academic activities in Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco, and has participated in the conferences of the . His former students prepared a three-part
festschrift In academia, a ''Festschrift'' (; plural, ''Festschriften'' ) is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during their lifetime. It generally takes the form of an edited volume, containing contributions from the ...
in his honour in 2008-2009.


References

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