“Shahrazad has staged a comeback. But this legendary storyteller is not the desperate, wily victim of a murderous tyrant that Western writers have depicted. Instead, in recent Maghrebian versions, she is a powerful Arab woman representing other powerful women with alternative visions for their society—women who are not afraid to speak truth to power. Pointing out that storytelling is intricately ... Read morebound up with violence and identity, freedom and survival, Gauch examines the ways in which contemporary Arab Muslim women’s voices are made possible and effective. This is an engaging study of Francophone North African intellectuals’ various invocations of this medieval muse.” —Choice “Drawing on a rich variety of texts, Gauch has assembled an erudite, multifarious compilation of critical analysis and cultural knowledge. Liberating Shahrazad is a model of scholarly pursuit—required reading not only for those interested in Islamic patrimony and culture but also for anybody seeking insight into North African literature.” —Women’s Review of Books “Cogently articulated, well supported, and convincing. This scholarly work will appeal to a wide-ranging audience in comparative literature, literary and film studies, women’s studies, and francophone studies.” —Research in African Literatures Show Less