Contents
Preface xi
A Note on the Spelling of Arabic Words xv
Chronology xvii
Introduction xxiii
Chapter 1: Popular Music 1
Introduction 1
Arab Spring Sounds 6
Birth of Arab Pop 7
Classical Singers 10
Dissident Music 17
Egyptian Shaabi 20
Gulf Singers 23
Israel 26
Maqamat and Instrumentation 27
New Youth Trends 28
Opera 30
Pop Stars 32
Rai Music 38
Umm Kulthum and the Golden Age 41
Chapter 2: Books and Contemporary Literature 45
Introduction 45
Early 20th-Century Masters 56
E-Books 58
Evolution of the Modern Novel 60
Leftist and Arab Spring Writers 62
