Document Type

Article

Publication Date

Spring 1-25-2023

Abstract

This article explores sibling relations in Mamdūḥ ‘Azzām’s (1950- ) Lā tukhbir al-ḥiṣān (2019, Don’t Tell the Horse). Using Mikhail Bakhtin’s (1895-1975) theories on the dialogic nature of the novel and the polyphony of voices existing in a single text, the article charts the characters’ movement in and out of the different storylines in ‘Azzām’s novel, and the way in which this informs the dynamic of the family story. Lending itself to multiple perspectives, ‘Azzām’s novel foregrounds the siblings’ voices over a singular authorial voice, highlighting not only their relationships in the novel, but also the way they offer an intricate portrayal of a family’s unraveling. The novel poses ontological questions on the state of being present/absent and the dynamics of human relations. Furthermore, the novel’s polyphonic narrative technique and multi-focal perspective constantly remind the reader of the intangibility, as well as shifting nature, of stories. It also emphasizes this constant shifting in its portrayal of the complex and conflicted sibling relations. The novel presents the reader with a multiplicity of stories intertwined with the siblings’ narrative, and yet distinctly separate. In addition, ‘Azzām employs an omniscient narrator whose presence in the novel is secondary vis-à-vis the presence of the more overpowering narratives of the siblings. In this way, ‘Azzām’s approach resonates with Bakhtin’s analysis of the the key aspect in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s (1821-1881) writing technique, namely, decentralizing the authorial voice and foregrounding individual speeches and perspectives. This intentionality in using individualized stories becomes a discursive tool through which ‘Azzām situates the siblings’ relationships in a larger and more universal framework, relatable to the context in which his novel was written.

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