Arabic fiction has thematized crime ever since the classical period. However the existence of
detective stories or more generally of crime fiction as a genre within Arab culture has yet
to be fully acknowledged. This book therefore offers both a theoretical reflection on this
genre in its context and a set of studies on instances of crime fiction in the Arab world.
Covering a vast historical and geographical range it tackles famous writers as well as authors
of young adult fiction deals with the current practitioners of noir as well as with classical
detective stories and also focuses on the adjacent fields of film and television production.
Arabic Crime Fiction Le récit criminel arabe thus fills a theoretical and historical gap in
current scholarship. Bringing together specialists of Arab literature and cinema and or crime
fiction it provides an overview of a rich and varied genre at the crossroads between the
narrative philosophical and legal traditions of the Arab world the realities of contemporary
society and the international forms of crime fiction. It thus demonstrates that Arabic crime
fiction does indeed exist even though it is not yet fully recognized by the publishing
market and academic institutions.
