In this Book
- Classical Arabic Literature: A Library of Arabic Literature Anthology
- 2012
- Book
- Published by: NYU Press
- View Citation
summary
A major achievement in the field of translation, this anthology presents a rich assortment of classical Arabic poems and literary prose, from pre-Islamic times until the 18th century, with short introductions to guide non-specialist students and informative endnotes and bibliography for advanced scholars. Like many pre-modern Arabic anthologies it aims at being both entertaining and informative. It ranges from the early Bedouin poems with their evocation of desert life to refined urban lyrical verse, from tender love poetry to sonorous eulogy or vicious lampoons, and from the heights of mystical rapture to the frivolity of comic verse. The prose contains anecdotes, entertaining or edifying tales and parables, a fairy-tale, a bawdy story, samples of literary criticism, and much more.
With this anthology, distinguished Arabist Geert Jan van Gelder brings together well-known texts as well as less familiar pieces that will be new even to scholars in the field. Many recent studies and anthologies of Middle Eastern literatures are primarily interested in Islam and religious matters—an emphasis that leads to the common misconception that almost everything in the region was and is dominated by religion. Classical Arabic Literature instead brings to life the rich variety of pre-modern Arabic social and cultural life, where secular texts happily coexisted with religious ones. This masterful anthology, in English only, will introduce this vibrant literary heritage to a wide spectrum of new readers.
Table of Contents
- Title Page, Copyright, Letter
- pp. i-vi
- Table of Contents
- pp. vii-x
- Acknowledgements
- pp. xi-12
- Abbreviations
- pp. xii-13
- Introduction
- pp. xiii-xxv
- Notes to the Introduction
- pp. xxvi-xxviii
- An Elegy (Marthiyah) by al-Khansāʾ
- pp. 12-14
- A Love Poem by Umm Khālid
- pp. 33-62
- Two Wine Poems by Abū Nuwās
- pp. 40-42
- Ibn al-Rūmī: On His Poetry
- pp. 51-52
- A Panegyric Qaṣīdah by al-Buḥturī
- pp. 58-60
- An Anonymous Muwashshaḥah from Spain
- pp. 69-72
- A Mystical Zajal by al-Shushtarī
- pp. 83-84
- Early Rajaz
- pp. 94-123
- Examples of Early Rhymed Prose (Saj')
- pp. 110-113
- How the Queen of Sheba Became Queen
- pp. 117-118
- Two Stories from Meadows of Gold
- pp. 119-122
- Al-Jahiz on Flies and Other Things
- pp. 176-194
- Prose Narrative: Four Stories
- pp. 225-244
- The Debate of Pen and Sword
- pp. 248-254
- A Fairytale: The Tale of the Forty Girls
- pp. 318-332
- Two Burlesque Stories from Brains Confounded
- pp. 339-344
- Chronology
- pp. 426-428
- Glossary of Names and Terms
- pp. 429-431
- Bibliography
- pp. 432-451
- Further Reading
- pp. 452-456
- About the NYU Abu Dhabi Institute
- pp. 466-496
- About the Typefaces
- pp. 467-497
- About the Translator
- pp. 468-498
Additional Information
ISBN
9780814745113
Related ISBN
9780814770276
MARC Record
OCLC
859687281
Pages
496
Launched on MUSE
2013-05-20
Language
English
Open Access
No
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