Ḫarā’iṭ muntaṣaf al-layl (Mappe della mezzanotte, 2009) di ‘Alī Badr e la ridefinizione dell’immaginario geografico e culturale mediterraneo

This paper represents an early stage of a research on the literary genre of al-riḥlah, the travelogue, in the Arab literary production of the last two decades. This research is designed to fill a gap in existing studies on contemporary Arabic travelogues, since the raḥalāt written in the classical period until the nahḍah, the Arab renaissance, has been deeply analysed by scholars, who have almost neglected the travelogues created by contemporary authors.
The present paper will focus on Ḫarā’iṭ muntaṣaf al-layl (Midnight Maps), published by the Iraqi author ‘Alī Badr in 2009, and awarded in 2010 with the “Ibn Battuta Prize for Contemporary Travel Literature”. In this travelogue, ‘Alī Badr describes his journey through Tehran, Istanbul, Algiers, Athens, Cyprus, Paris, Marseille. He emphasizes the literary dimension of the journey to retrieve and renew the sense of discovery that has characterized the renowned travelogues written by Arab travellers in the XIX century