"Aswat Mu°asira gives advanced level students a core textbook for a content-based course focused on contemporary Arab literature, in particular the short story. Fifty-five stories from twenty countries across the Middle East engage students with contemporary topics and open the door to discovering new authors and literary traditions. Most of the authors in the book are living writers and have not published outside the Middle East, making this book appealing to scholars, as well. Many countries and their writers are represented that rarely are included in literary surveys, as well. While most similar textbooks include excerpts from larger works, making it difficult for students to delve into literary analysis, Elbousty selected short stories that can be read in one sitting to give students the satisfaction of reading a complete piece of literature in Arabic and to engage deeply with it. Organized by country, each chapter begins with a brief country history and each story is preceded by a short author bio. Following each story, Elbousty provides a series of exercises that helps students practice comprehension, including vocabulary and comprehension exercises, and additional exercises that help students work toward mastering literary analysis of Arab literature"