A Comparative Study of The Days by Taha Hussein and Aké: The Years of Childhood by Wole Soyinka

Abstract

Comparative literature is a field of study that fosters the convergence of ideas, knowledge and cultural perspectives. This type of study has received significant attention from scholars of Arabic and English in the modern era. However, comparisons between Arabic and English literary works remain scarce in Arabic literary studies in Nigeria. Therefore, this paper focused on deducing and studying the differences between the books The Days by Taha Hussein and Aké: The Years of Childhood by Wole Soyinka. Its objectives include comparing and contrasting the contents of the two literary works, analysing the artistic and narrative aspects of the two books, and clarifying some aspects of childhood behaviour despite their different regional backgrounds, ideologies, and religions. This study employs two primary mythologies: historical and analytical. The historical approach provides a brief overview of the two writers' lives throughout the study. The analytical approach is a study of the two writers' autobiographies, which were analysed according to literary and artistic standards. In conclusion, this research showed that the two biographies reflect the childhoods of the two writers, despite differences in environment and culture, and both works conform to the artistic standards and linguistic rules established in their respective languages, despite their differences in writing style. The study recommended that Wole Soyinka's works be translated into Arabic and Taha Hussein's works into English, and it urges researchers to focus on their interest in childhood experiences in the works of African writers, despite the differences in their environments and cultures, to derive benefits and information from the convergence of ideas and knowledge.