PRISON SPACE IN ARABIC SCIENCE FICTION NOVELS

This study examines the meaning of prison space as it is reflected in two Arabic science fiction novels. Prison is a closed space in which inmates are deprived of their freedom, individuality and identity. Traditionally, the vast majority of prisons have been associated with torture and humiliation. In the novel al-ʾAzmān al-muẓlima (Dark Times), Dr. Qāsim is incarcerated in Guantanamo because of his opposition to the actions of a terrorist group. In prison he suffers physical and mental abuse and is experimented on, as if he were a guinea pig. Because he places Qāsim in solitary confinement, the novel?s author must use the literary device of soliloquy in order to convey what is happening in the character?s mind. The novel also highlights positive aspects of life in prison?a place for exchanging views and ideas and for forging new friendships. It also makes the inmates take a more profound look at life and transforms them intellectually, conceptually and ethically. In the novel Qāhir al-Zaman (Time?s Overcomer), the journalist Kāmil is sent to prison because he opposes testing on living human beings. The novel depicts prison as a dark grave, narrow, stagnant and detached from the world, a place where inmates and their behavior are changed. Kāmil is filled with frustration and despair. He behaves like a nervous animal in a cage and his frayed nerves lead to a complete breakdown. His inner agitation makes him lose all contact with his humanity. Kāmil?s reminiscences are used to provide the reader with the missing information concerning his experiences in prison.