The Borders of Imagination in the Experience of Jurji Zaydan

Abstract

It is possible to deduce that Lebanese novelist Jurji Zaydan laid the foundations for the historical novel in Arabic, by virtue of the exceptionally large number of novels he published within that genre, and his willingness to raise historical theses that deal with Islamic history from the pre-Islamic period until the verge of the modern age. Unlike other works, this copious quantity of works published in a series of novels on the history of Islam went through many editions, reflecting their popularity among readers over time and space.