Al Majalla's Book Watch

In its latest edition of Al Majalla's Book Watch, the Arab world's literary scene is celebrated. Omar Kaddour's critically acclaimed and documentary study, "Sing to Me Softly: On Singing, Politics and Society," has been highlighted. Kaddour, a Syrian novelist and writer, delves into the history of Arab music and song, exploring how it evolved during a period considered a golden age of artistic achievement.

Kaddour's work is not a nostalgic reflection on the past, but rather an examination of modern Arab singing and the factors that shaped its most celebrated figures. He uses Umm Kulthum's career as a prism to trace six decades of evolving Arab musical tastes, examining the relationship between song, audience, media, and political power.

Kaddour distinguishes between "Miss Umm Kulthum" and "the Lady Umm Kulthum," exploring how her career mirrored the social, political, and economic changes in the Arab world. While she initially experimented with different musical forms and took risks, becoming an icon in the 'Arab Republic of Umm Kulthum' under Nasserist era, she later found her artistic choices increasingly confined to an extended song format, marginalizing other vibrant musical forms and innovative composers.

The book also examines the careers of other exceptional singers in musical cinema, such as Asmahan and Leila Mourad, highlighting their unique voices, cultural openness, and the pressures they faced. Kaddour challenges the traditional portrayal of Zakaria Ahmed, revealing his revolutionary spirit and hybrid musical style that combined monologue, dawr, and taqtuqa.

Similarly, he questions the legend of Abdel Halim Hafez, arguing that his appeal lay in his emotional and vulnerable delivery, which resonated with generations of young people and women during Nasserism's rise and defeat.