1. Hafez renders this paragraph – the only one he reproduces in full English translation – as follows: »Apart from the lack of creative imagination, inadequate observation and the absence of analysis, there is the weakness of description and illustrative ability. The description of the setting from which the characters emerge is one of the most important requirements of fictional art, because it has a tremendous effect on forming their characteristics and feelings. Furthermore, the vivid narrative and the use of accurate realistic description have a strong impact on the reader, for they convince him of the truthfulness of the story and of its relevance to real life« – S. Hafez, The Genesis of Arabic Narrative Discourse, Saqi Books, 1993: 179.