Between aesthetics and politics. The works of Radwa Ashour as an example of committed literature

The article discusses committed literature in the contemporary Arab world on the basis of the works of Radwa Ashour (Raḍwà Āšūr, 1946-2014) and its role in shaping social opinion and attitude. Based on the concept of Jacques Rancière, the author analyzes the life and oeuvres of Radwa Ashour in terms of her commitment in the current problems of Egypt and the Arab world, putting forward the thesis that practically from the first to the last works, Ashour consciously uses literature as a sensitive instrument for diagnosis of the condition of Arab society on the one hand, and as an effective tool for shaping attitudes towards specific phenomena on the other hand - often in opposition to the official state discourse. Where direct criticism of government policy due to political censorship and the lack of freedom of speech is not possible, space opens up for an indirect form of discourse offered by literature and art.