ABSTRACT

This paper constructs the story of Niʿma, a Sudanese or Nubian slave in Bahāʾ Ṭāhir’s Wāḥat al-ghurūb (2006; Sunset Oasis 2009). Set in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Egypt, the novel revisits the 1881–1882 Urābī Revolution and the subsequent British invasion. Through the male protagonist, Maḥmūd ʿAbd al-Ẓāhir and his relationship with Niʿma, his concubine, Wāḥat al-ghurūb re-evaluates Egypt’s nationalist rhetoric. Made to represent an essence of Egypt, Niʿma is denied her history and memory except as an exotic, jasmine-scented Scheherazade whose folktales captivate Maḥmūd, and whose sexuality satiates him. I argue that despite the absence of her voice Niʿma shows agency mainly through casting herself as an active storyteller and additionally through her decisions to stay with her masters after their bankruptcy, and later to leave the house when she realizes that Maḥmūd sees her as a commodity.

摘要

本文以巴哈·ah希尔（Bahāʾāhir）的《瓦哈特·阿古鲁布》（Wāḥatal-ghurūb）（2006年；《日落绿洲》（Sunset Oasis）， 2009年）中的苏丹或努比亚奴隶尼玛为例。该小说以十九世纪末和二十世纪初的埃及为背景，重新审视了1881年至1882年的Urābī革命以及随后的英国入侵。通过男主人公MaḥmūdʿAbdal-Ẓāhir及其与尼玛的关系，他的，妃WāWatal-ghurūb重新评估了埃及的民族主义言论。为了代表埃及的精髓，尼玛被剥夺了她的历史和记忆，只是因为她的异国情调，茉莉花香的Scheherazade的民间故事吸引了Maḥmūd，并且性生活使他满意。我辩称，尽管尼玛没有声音，但她主要是通过扮演自己是一名活跃的讲故事者的身份来表现自己的才干，此外，她还决定在主人破产后与主人呆在一起，后来当她意识到马穆德将她视为商品时离开家。 。