In this Book

  • Selections from The Art of Party Crashing in Medieval Iraq
  • Book
  • Translated from the Arabic and illustrated by Emily Selove
  • 2012
  • Published by: Syracuse University Press
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summary

He’s fond of anyone who throws a party;
he’s always at a party in his dreams,
for party-crashing’s blazoned on his heart . . .
a prisoner to the path of fi ne cuisine.

With this statement, al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, a Muslim preacher and scholar, introduces The Art of Party-Crashing, a book that represents a sharp departure from the religious scholarship for which he is known. Compiled in the eleventh century, this collection of irreverent and playful anecdotes celebrates eating, drinking, and general merriment. Ribald jokes, flirtations, and wry observations of misbehaving Muslims acquaint readers with everyday life in medieval Iraq in a way that is both entertaining and edifying.

Selove’s translation, accompanied by her whimsical drawings, introduces the delights and surprises of medieval Arabic humor to a new audience.

Table of Contents

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  1. Cover
  2. pp. 1-2
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  1. Title Page, Copyright
  2. pp. 3-6
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  1. Contents
  2. pp. v-vi
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  1. Illustrations
  2. pp. vii-viii
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  1. Translator’s Note
  2. pp. ix-xii
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  1. Acknowledgments
  2. pp. xiii-xvi
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  1. Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi’s Introduction
  2. pp. 1-5
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  1. The Meaning of “Party-Crashing” in the Language and the First Person Named after It
  2. pp. 6-10
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  1. Early Party-Crashing
  2. pp. 11-18
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  1. Going to a Meal Without Being Invited Is Deemed Rude
  2. pp. 19-29
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  1. Those Who Cast Aspersions on Party-Crashing and Its Practitioners and Satirize and Denounce Them
  2. pp. 30-35
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  1. Those Who Praise, Make Excuses for, or Speak Well of Party-Crashing
  2. pp. 36-41
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  1. Party-Crashers from among the Notables, the Noble, the Learned, and the Cultured
  2. pp. 42-71
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  1. Those Who Engage in Very Subtle Acts of Party-Crashing
  2. pp. 72-78
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  1. Those Who Love People to Sponge and Facilitate It
  2. pp. 79-84
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  1. Anecdotes about Party-Crashers Who Exert Themselves in Party-Crashing and Make It a Trade and Occupation
  2. pp. 85-98
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  1. Accounts of the Ones That the Guards Would Refuse, but Who Outwit the Guards with a Lie or a Ruse
  2. pp. 99-110
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  1. Mention of the Party-Crashers’ Conversations, Advice, and Poetry
  2. pp. 111-127
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  1. Accounts of Bunan, the Party-Crasher
  2. pp. 128-162
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  1. A Document Pertaining to Party-Crashing
  2. pp. 163-174
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  1. Bibliography
  2. pp. 175-176
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  1. About the Author, Back Cover
  2. pp. 197-199
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