Women’s Literary Salons in the 20th Century: A Historical Study Women’s Literary Salons in the 20th Century: A Historical Study

Abstract

Women have never been absent from Arab literary life at any period; literary life has witnessed various roles played by women as poets and critics from the pre-Islamic era to the present day. One of the most important literary phenomena in Arab culture is the phenomenon of literary salons, such as the Al-Aqqad Salon, May Ziadeh’s Salon, and Huda Shaarawi’s Salon. It is noteworthy that the salons founded by women had a significant impact and attracted many prominent figures. This article examines the phenomenon of women’s literary salons in Arab culture and is divided into two sections: the first section focuses on the history of literary salons in general, while the second section studies women’s salons in twentieth-century Egypt. The article reached several conclusions, the most prominent of which is that most women’s literary salons were established by women who had diverse cultural influences, both Eastern and Western. These salons did not focus solely on literary issues but also addressed matters related to politics, economics, and other fields. The article employed the historical method in the first section and the objective analytical method in the second section.