1930 – 1940
From the 1930s until the 1960s the Arab-majority world faced major wars and several social and political upheavals. This, combined with the earlier mentioned political and social fragmentation (see 1914 – 1918 World War I), led to three major political trends developed that were reflected in literary works.
First there was the pragmatic political establishment represented by various minority governments, which ignored the popular demand for independence and cooperated with colonial powers. The second trend was that of nationalism which was characterized in several countries by reformist ideologies. Third was the rising rebellious movement represented by radical students and divided leftist intellectuals who, although unable to unite, offered a pallet of new ideas and ideals.
These three trends were reflected respectively by: 1) a sentimental style inspired by European literature; 2) a trend which explored the national identity and articulated its aspirations and dreams through realistic presentations and romantic themes (such as the glorification of nature) to spear patriotic fervor ; and 3) a style as divided as the political trend it was associated with but led to the development of a modernistic narrative.
(see for further information: Sabry Hafez. 1992. “The modern Arabic short story.” In Modern Arabic Literature. eds. Muhammad Mustafa Badawi. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, 270- 329)