Colección de autores árabes contemporáneos
Collection of Contemporary Arab Authors (Spanish: Colección de autores árabes contemporáneos) is a Spanish-language book series published in Madrid since 1955. It featured modern Arabic literary works in Spanish translation, often accompanied by scholarly introductions and contextual commentary by leading Arabists. According to the noted Spanish scholar and translator of Arabic literature Gonzalo Fernández Parrilla the series constitutes the first publishing initiative aimed at promoting contemporary Arab literature in Spain.
Introduction
The series was published by the Instituto Hispano Árabe de Cultura (later incorporated into the Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional) as part of Spain’s cultural diplomacy efforts to foster literary and intellectual exchange with the Arab world. The collection aimed to introduce modern Arabic literature—fiction, poetry, and essays—to Spanish-speaking audiences. Book series like this play a significant role in promoting intercultural understanding and literary appreciation across linguistic and cultural boundaries.
The first volume of the series was the Arab novel Diary of a Country Prosecutor (Yaumiyat na'ib fi al-aryaf) of Tawfiq al Hakim, which was published in 1955, translated from the Arabic of Emilio García Gómez (1905-1995). Other volumes were translated and prefaced by Pedro Martinez Montávez (es) (1933-2023) and many others. Volumes from the series are available in major libraries such as the Biblioteca Nacional de España and various academic institutions.
Selected works
- 1 Diario de un fiscal rural (ar). Tawfiq al-Hakim. 1955
- 2 Teatro. Tawfiq al-Hakim. 1963 (La gente de la caverna y tres piezas en un acto: La casa de las hormigas, De la noche a la mañana, El canto de la muerte)
- 3 La ciudad inicua. M. Kamil Husayn (ar). 1963
- 4 Nuevos cuentos árabes. 1965
- 5 Poemas amorosos árabes. Nizar Kabbani 1975
- 6 El despertar de un pueblo (The Awakening of a People). Tawfiq al-Hakim. 1967
- 7 Canciones de Mihyar el de Damasco. Adonis. 1968
- 8 Literatura infantil en Egipto. Nadra Abd el-Halim Wahdan . 1972
- 9 Cuentos ciertos e inciertos. Naguib Mahfuz. 1974
- 11 Llama azul – Letters of Khalil Gibran. 1978
- 13 El día que no es hoy – Short stories by Zakariya Tamer. 1978
- 14 Escucha, Ridā. Anis Freiha. 1978
- 15 El viento del sur. Abdelhamid ben Hadouga. 1981
- 16 Barg el-Līl. Bashir Khrayyef. 1982
- 17 Principio y fin. Naguib Mahfuz. 1988
- 18 Mi vida = (Hayati). Ahmad Amin. 1993
- 20 La mujer y la rosa. Mohamed Zafzaf. 1997
- 21 Relatos de un nómada mediterráneo. Abdul Salam al-Ujayli. 1998
- 22 Beirut 75 : (novela). Ghada Al-Samman. 1999
- 23 Once astros : (poesía). Mahmud Darwish. 2000