Marmaduke Pickthall Reinstated

Marmaduke Pickthall was a prolific British novelist, essayist, journalist, and short story writer who was positively received by his contemporaries for his fictional oeuvre, but is hardly known in the current literary world. Despite his obvious talents, Pickthall was unfortunately ignored when the English literary canon was formed in the mid-twentieth century. Today, he is only remembered for his conversion to Islam, his Turkish sympathies, and his translation of the Holy Qur’an to English in 1930.

Ebtisam A. Sadiq, Naela H. Danish, and Afra S. Al-Shiban rely on extensive research of nineteenth-century British literature with the hope of reintroducing Pickthall to the literary world. In comprehensive analysis that includes the forgotten author’s Eastern novels, Western tales, and collections of short stories, the researchers utilize contemporary theories of criticism—particularly postcolonialism, modern realist traditions, and feminism—to scrutinize and highlight the nature of his contribution to English literature. Included are examinations of Pickthall’s affiliation or withdrawal from literary traditions like Victorianism and Modernism and what exactly determines his canonical status.

Marmaduke Pickthall Reinstated shares research and examinations of a forgotten author’s literary works with the intent that they finally find a long overdue place in mainstream English literature.