"Tahfat Al-Sahran" by Mohsen Al-Ramli: A Narrative Exploration of Alienation, Loss, and Existential Struggle

Abstract

This study analyzes the short story collection Tuḥfat al-Sahrān (The Sleepless One’s Delight) by the Iraqi writer Muhsin al-Ramli, focusing on the central theme of existential struggle and cultural alienation in his literature. The research aims to explore how al-Ramli, through introspective narration and philosophical techniques, addresses questions of identity and belonging in a world marked by internal conflict and constant transformation. The study emphasizes al-Ramli’s treatment of existential issues—loss, death, and the search for meaning—through characters suspended between reality and imagination. Special attention is given to the symbolic elements he employs to convey philosophical messages.

Using in-depth textual analysis of narrative techniques and symbolic structures, the study highlights the psychological and existential tensions that shape the Arab individual’s experience, as represented in al-Ramli’s narrative discourse. It offers an interpretive reading grounded in the inner reflections of characters, aiming to uncover the intellectual and symbolic layers of the texts as vehicles for expressing the crisis of the contemporary Arab self.

The study’s key findings are structured around three main axes: First, it reveals the tension between personal and collective identity and its intersection with the concept of alienation. The stories depict a profound conflict between the individual and their surroundings, born of deep historical and symbolic transformations. Second, it analyzes the narrative and philosophical mechanisms al-Ramli employs to articulate existential conflict and unending questions, relying on a hybrid narrative structure that merges symbolic realism with existential and absurdist currents. Third, it explores the representation of themes such as loss, death, and the search for meaning in a world of meaninglessness. These themes form a deep emotional structure, embodying symbolic deaths and spiritual loss alongside an anxious quest for answers that never arrive.

Thus, Tuḥfat al-Sahrān offers a unique literary model that deepens our understanding of the crisis of Arab consciousness. The study’s findings demonstrate the collection’s ability to challenge prevailing notions such as identity and meaning through unconventional narrative techniques. The hybrid textual structure, use of ironic symbolism, and reliance on self-narration all contribute to a layered literary expression of enduring existential anxiety.