- Muḥammad al-ʿAshry (1967-, Egypt) – Hālat al-Nūr (‘Aura of light’, 2002). This novel portrays a post-oil society in which the sand of the desert, in its interaction with atmospheric hydrogen, provides a source of energy (reference). This source of energy is so rich, that the inhabitants of the recently discovered ‘Tenth’ planet import sand to produce electricity. Hero of the novel travels on the back of a mythical Centaur trying to reach the new planet (also in N: Nature: Desert).
- ʿAbdulʿazīz al-Fārsī (1976 – 2022, Oman) – Tabkī al-Arḍ, Yaḍḥak Zuḥal (2007, English trans. Earth Weeps, Saturn Laughs, 2013). This novel is set in the home village of its hero, Khālid, an Omani government employee who returns to the village from the city, fleeing from a painful love-affair. He is surprised to see the changes in his village towards corruption, religious bigotry, and racial prejudice. He finds companionship with a poet from Saturn, an imaginary friend, with whom he discusses wisdom beyond the earthly world (reference) (also V: Village and Rural Life).
- Tawfīq al-Ḥakīm’s (1898 – 1987, Egypt) play Rihlah ilā al-Ghad (‘Voyage to tomorrow’, 1957) describes two Convicts who agree to participate in a space mission to avoid imprisonment. When their spaceship crashes on an unknown planet, the two discover that their body functions on electricity. They have become immortal and need to find a new meaning of life, which they do when the Convict suggest fixing the rocket. In the final play the two return to earth as heroes, 309 years after their departure. The play questions the balance between technological advancement and the elements of life that make it human (reference).
- Ṭālib ʿUmrān (1948-, Syria) – Khalf Ḥājiz al-Zaman (‘Beyond the veil of time’, 1985). The main protagonist of this story lands on a utopian planet inhabited by humans. He tours the planet guided by a young woman who he falls in love with. She accepts his love, but as is usual on the planet, they are sent to one of its satellites where they are tested on their devotion to each other. Ultimately, they prove their true bond, but the explorer is sent back home because his presence threatens the utopian planet’s society (reference). The romantic relationship can be interpreted a metaphor of the Sufi stages of love and the unification with God, the female guide being representative for God (reference).
Refrences:
In order of appearance
- Interview with Muḥmmad al-ʿAshrī by Rizān Kandī. 2012. “al-Riwāʾī al-Maṣrī Muḥammad al-Ashrī: al-Ṣaḥrāʾ Taḥtāj Ilā Jaysh min al-Riwāʾiyīn li-Iktishāfiha.” www.alquds.co.uk, 3 June 2023, https://www.alquds.co.uk/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B5%D8%B1%D9%8A-%D9%85%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%B4%D8%B1%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B5%D8%AD%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%A1-%D8%AA%D8%AD/ (last accessed 2 September 2023)
- Maḥmūd Farghalī. 2022. “Balāghat al-Makān fī Riwāyah ‘Tabkī al-Arḍ … Yaḍhik Zuḥal’ li-l-Kātib al-ʿUmānī ʿAbdul ʿAzīz al-Fārsī.” www.qannaass.com, 2 October 2022, https://qannaass.com/بلاغة-المكان-في-رواية-تبكي-الأرض-يضحك/ (last accessed 5 May 2023)
- Bhargav Rani. 2015. “Science Fiction in the Arab World: Tawfiq al-Hakim’s Voyage to Tomorrow.” Arab Stages 1(2)
- Ian Campbell. 2018. Arabic Science Fiction. Palgrave MacMillan: London, p. 253, 254