“A Tear, Then a Smile” by Yahya Haqqi: A Critical Reading
Introduction to the Book and Its Author
Historical Context:
Published in 1965, A Tear, Then a Smile is a collection of essays originally serialized in the Egyptian daily Al-Masaa between 1962 and 1965. The collection spans 191 pages.
About the Author:
Yahya Haqqi (1905–1992) is considered a pioneer of the Arabic short story. Born into a family of Turkish origin, he studied law and later worked as a prosecutor, then as a diplomat in Istanbul and Rome, before becoming editor-in-chief of the cultural magazine Al-Majalla. He received the Egyptian State Award for Literature in 1969 and the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Chevalier) in 1983.
Purpose of the Book:
Haqqi himself described it as “spilling the basket”—a gathering of scattered thoughts. Though the essays are diverse, they are united by what he calls the “embrace of words” and the writer’s heart searching for a listener.
Structure and Intellectual Content
The book is divided into several thematic currents:
1. Personal and Emotional Essays
Pieces like Words Stole Me Away and The Buddha Tree reflect Haqqi’s autobiographical voice, particularly his experiences in Istanbul. He recounts the Night of Power in Hagia Sophia with the image of “a tree whose leaves tremble.”
Other essays, such as The Fragrance of Loved Ones and The Dust of Bureaucracy, capture nostalgia, mortality, and reflections on time.
2. Literary and Artistic Criticism
In At the Altar of Art and The School of Theater, Haqqi insists on art’s role in liberating humanity, rejecting shallow “bohemianism.”
This Poetry explores poetry’s fraught relationship with political power, calling instead for verse that “creates light from darkness.”
3. Social Satire
The Committee ridicules bureaucratic absurdities, while Sale! Sale! lampoons consumer culture.
Essays like The Old Widow and A Poor Woman portray the struggles of marginalized people with stark realism.
4. Portraits of Literary Figures
Haqqi also writes appreciations of fellow writers, including Mahmoud Taher Haqqi (author of The Virgin of Denshawai) and Ahmed Khairy Said, founder of the journal Al-Fajr.
Analytical Overview of Themes
| Main Theme | Example Essays | Issues Addressed |
|---|---|---|
| Personal Experience | A Trembling Tree, The Arrival Station | Memory, exile, spirituality |
| Cultural Critique | The People’s Theater, Art and Bohemianism | The role of art, generational conflict |
| Social Concerns | The Committee, The Fighter, The Old Widow | Poverty, bureaucracy, justice |
| Commemorations | Elegy, The Funeral at the Casino | Death, preservation of cultural memory |
Style and Literary Techniques
Language:
Haqqi blends classical Arabic with colloquial expressions, such as: “All I had in my pocket—and my pocket was emptier than the heart of Moses’ mother.”
Imagery:
Fresh metaphors abound: “The stick held in the middle betrays whoever leans on it.”
Essay Structure:
His essays are short (2–5 pages), often beginning with a daily scene or philosophical question, and ending with a surprising aphorism. He moves fluidly between storytelling and logical argument, as in A Lesson from Gandhi.
Devices:
-
Irony: Poverty rendered with comic sharpness in Sale! Sale!
-
Symbolism: The Buddha Tree as a symbol of religious tolerance; Frost as intellectual stagnation.
-
Tone: Varies from solemn (The Fighter) to bitterly satirical (The Committee) to tender (The Fragrance of Loved Ones).
Human and Social Dimensions
-
Marginalized Voices: Haqqi depicts the lives of widows and street vendors without sentimentality, but with precision and empathy.
-
Political Commentary: The Fighter celebrates resistance, while The Committee skewers administrative corruption.
-
Religious Tolerance: In essays like The Buddha Tree and A Trembling Tree, he presents Islamic Sufism and Buddhism as meeting points for peace and spiritual unity.
Historical and Creative Context
-
Egypt in the 1960s: The collection reflects the post-revolution era, caught between modernity and tradition, and critiques the commodification of culture (Sale! Sale!).
-
Intellectual Evolution: The essays mirror Haqqi’s journey as a diplomat, critic, and editor, shaped by a philosophy of “humanistic realism.”
-
Influences: He was inspired by André Gide—whom he once described as “a prisoner of my pride”—and he in turn influenced Egypt’s 1960s generation of writers, whom he mentored through Al-Majalla.
Philosophical and Intellectual Dimensions
-
Dualities:
-
The tear (human pain) versus the smile (irony as a weapon).
-
The committed intellectual (The Fighter) versus the opportunistic one (“the vilest are those with a herd mentality”).
-
-
Vision of Art:
Art is a beacon, not decoration—“a lighthouse” tied to moral responsibility (At the Altar of Art). -
Humanistic Mysticism:
In A Trembling Tree, he conveys a mystical experience that united Christians and Muslims during worship in Hagia Sophia.
Narrative and Rhetorical Techniques
-
Striking Openings: Kaleidoscope begins: “Life is shards of colored glass… every turn creates a new picture.”
-
Self-dialogue: In Two Opinions, he debates with himself over the clash between ideals and reality.
-
Folk Sayings: He often grounds his critique with proverbs, like “Leave it to God” in the face of despair.
Legacy and Literary Significance
-
Critical Heritage: Among the first works to fuse journalism with high literature, paving the way for the modern newspaper column.
-
Cultural Record: Preserved the memory of forgotten figures such as Mahmoud Fouad Murabit.
-
Translations: Select essays, like The Buddha Tree, have been translated into English and French, though the collection as a whole remains untranslated.
Conclusion
A Tear, Then a Smile is more than a set of essays—it is the portrait of a generation. Haqqi teaches us that words can be a tear exposing suffering, or a smile confronting ugliness, yet always an embrace of humanity.
Sixty years on, the issues he raised—corruption, identity crises, and the role of the intellectual—remain unresolved. The book proves that true literature never ages.
As Haqqi himself wrote: “It seems the fate of every writer is to bare himself, so that others may be clothed.”
For the original summary in Arabic
0 تعليقات