Dystopia in the ContemporaryArab City: A Reading of the Novel Orwell in the SouthernSuburb by FawziZebian

Modern Arabicliterature in general and the contemporarynovel in particular, arein their formative stagesinfluenced by social variables. The writer/authordrawshisrawmaterialfrom the humanistic-social events and uses human society as the theme and basis of the novel. Meanwhile, apartfromimitating western art and comprehendinginevitablenecessity of urban life, the city playsa key role in this part. The use of the city in utopiaframework has an oldhistory in easternrealm, but the converse form as 'dystopia' or 'corrupt city' which is recently developingin Arabic novels including FawziZebians'Orwell fi al-zahia al-jonubiyah' (Orwell in the Southern Suburb). The writer tries to disclose the factors that preventhuman beings from exaltationby considernghumanistic and social conditions of southernsuburb of Beirut. So, this article tries to read the mentioned novel in the light of dystopia constituents and gets information about humanistic and social factors of dystopia in the formation of FawziZebian's novel.The results show that the writer observes social conditions of southernsuburb of Beirut andits relations with the political conditions of Lebanese society and has muchdare in raisingproblemsthat are in cases dificult to deal withovertly.