𝗣𝗼𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗟𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆: 𝗘𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗰 𝗟𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘈𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘤 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘸 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 —𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵?

𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊 𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘:

Coming December 2025, 𝗣𝗼𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗟𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆: 𝗘𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗰 𝗟𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 by Muhsin J. al-Musawi is a thrilling deep dive into the hidden engines of Arabic literary brilliance —rivalry, borrowing, and poetic ambition.

For centuries, poets, critics, and scholars across the Abbasid Caliphate, Andalusia, Morocco, Egypt, and Iraq waged fierce literary battles over “plagiarism.” But as al-Musawi shows, these accusations weren’t about shame —they were about status, originality, and power. Borrowing a verse could spark outrage or admiration. Entire reputations rose and fell on the razor’s edge of intertextuality. From court poets in Baghdad to modern voices like Nāzik al-Malāʾikah, theft became the soil in which literary greatness bloomed.

What makes this book truly explosive is its bold final turn: connecting these classical debates to our own age of AI, remix culture, and academic integrity. Al-Musawi argues that literary theft isn’t a flaw —it’s a creative engine. And perhaps, it’s always been. If you’ve ever asked “what makes writing truly original?” —this book will leave you questioning everything you thought you knew.

𝐏𝐔𝐁𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘 & 𝐏𝐔𝐑𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐒𝐄:

• Cambridge University Press:

https://www.cambridge.org/us/universitypress/subjects/history/middle-east-history/poetic-desire-and-literary-thievery-economies-intertextuality-arabic-literature