Furthermore, the sensual part of the novel, when it comes, it aims to show the Arab reader in particular how a woman is a subject, not just an object. She reflects on her position in society, her political engagement, her femininity, and especially her identity. The main focus here is our protagonist’s quest to emancipate herself from norms. Are there any sensual passages in the novel? Yes, but they come a lot later in the novel. With all the details, Baalbakki shows us the experience and perspective of many Arab women, experiences that they faced and experience that they still face.
However the key aspect here is that a woman is a subject, rather than an object of affection or adulation. Such a story is not new in Arabic literature. This is all accentuated once she meets a young man, Bahaa, and starts an affair with him. She might not know yet, but this might be getting a job of her own, breathing how she wishes, acting as she wishes, and being herself independent of societal norms imposed on a young woman of her age. So this point invites us to ask… was she criticized for the content alone, or was she criticized for being a woman writing about love and sensuality? I Live tells the story of the young woman (19 years old), Lina Fayyad, who decides to renounce the patriarchy of her rich family in order to follow what she wants in life. Layla did not write anything that wasn’t written before, nor did she write anything that won’t be written. Yet when we read it, and especially if we are already at least a little bit versed in Arabic literature, we will find that the content of the novel itself did not break any new ground or taboo. She was accused for the “sensuality” and “obscenity” in the novel. When the Lebanese author Layla Baalbakki released her debut novel “I Live” in 1958, it created a big controversy as she faced a lot of criticism and censures.
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