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THE POLITICS AND POETICS OF LANGUAGE USE translation of the Arabic expression katb al-kitab, which means the signing of the marriage contract. The relexification is not explicitly explained and will therefore confuse outsider readers who do not know Arabic; they can only understand it from the context and cushioning as well as its repetition in the text. It is mentioned the first time when Midhat’s father Haj Taher Kamal, who is a widower, decides to remarry in Cairo where he directs one of his business branches: “He did not take long to decide. He wrote to Layla’s father, and within days they had arranged the signing of the book and the wedding date.” The expression is mentioned a second time when Midhat tells his cousin Jamil that he wants to marry Fatima Hammad, who is considered out of bounds for him because her family is much wealthier than his. Jamil jokingly tells Midhat that she is already engaged to somebody else: “You know, [...] she is marrying him. [...] They signed the book already.”°° Midhat proposes anyway and, after initially refusing, her father consents. The third time the expression is mentioned is when the news of Midhat’s engagement starts to spread. However, this time the expression is translated as “the signing of the betrothal contract”. This is an idiomatic but rather archaic English expression with religious connotations, which actually covers the meaning of katb al-kitab very well. It also draws the attention of the readers in a way that is different but comparable to the way in which the relexified expression does. The readers are just the same compelled to pause and reflect on its deeper meanings. The expression is mentioned a fourth time in the context of one of the subplots, when Midhat’s close friend Hani marries his much younger cousin in order to save her from her money-hungry uncles: “Within a few minutes, they had signed the book of marriage." By inserting this relexified expression, together with its archaic translation, four times in the text, Hammad produces yet again “rich points” that make the readers pause and invite them to reflect on marriage outside the frames that they take for granted. Besides that, the relexified expression and its archaic translation signal the importance of marriage in the plot and in Midhat’s life. As mentioned above, Haj Taher’s marriage to Layla marked Midhat’s childhood and further alienated him from his already aloof father. Upon Midhat’s return to Nablus, Haj Taher coerces him to marry because of Jeannette’s 6 > This legally binding contract, which also stipulates the dowry (mahr), is signed when a couple gets engaged. During the engagement period the couple have the opportunity to get to know each other and to prepare together with their families the wedding ceremony, which usually takes place a couple of months (but sometimes years) after the signing of the contract. Hammad: “The Parisian or Al-Barisi”, 19. Ibid., 239. §7 Ibid., 326. 68 Ibid., 377. 6 a 6 a œ 837 +
