Arabic Literary Salons in the Islamic Middle Ages: Poetry, Public Performance, and the Presentation of the Past

Acknowledgments

acknowledgments the publication of this book has been a goal for many years, and in that duration a number of individuals and institutions have provided material and moral support. Without them, this book simply would not be, and it is a joy to record my gratitude to them. the project began as a Ph.d. dissertation at indiana University under the supervision of suzanne stetkevych, who has been an exemplary mentor and colleague. few people outside her circle of students witness the unflagging energy and countless hours she devotes to trainingarabists and cultivating in them the sensibilities of the ode (qaṣīda) genre, which is the backbone of thearabic literary heritage. Her knowledge of the arabic literary tradition in particular and classical culture in general serve as an inspiration. i have also benefited from conversations and comments from Jaroslav stetkevych, who served as discussant on several conference panels, providing compelling suggestions and insights. it has been my good fortune to witness his avuncular wisdom and breadth of knowledge in arabic and comparative literatures. research for this book was originally funded by a fulbright-Hays training Grant, part of the doctoral dissertation research Program ix of the U.s. department of education. i am indebted to the fulbright commissions of egypt, Germany, and spain for their assistance during 1998–99.an early version of chapter 4 was delivered to the departamento de estudios Árabes (instituto de filología) at the consejo superior de investigaciones científicas, Madrid, spain, where i benefited from the comments of Heather ecker, Howard Miller, and Manuela Marín. later, chapter 4 was published in Writers and Rulers, edited by Beatrice Gruendler and louise Marlow. i appreciate the care and acumen of the two editors and the permission of the publisher to incorporate that chapter in this book. similarly, i thank the Journal of Arabic Literature for permission to republish chapter 5 and the Journal of Arabic and Islamic Studies for permission to use chapter 6. likewise, many improvements were brought about in those articles because of the journals’ editors and reviewers. sections of this paper were discussed at the Working Group on Modernity and islam at the institute for advanced studies, Berlin, 2000–2001, and i appreciate the productive exchanges i had with angelika neuwirth, renate Jacobi , Hilary Kilpatrick, and friederike Pannewick. i owe my gratitude as well to my colleagues at the department of Middle eastern studies, University of texas at austin, who welcomed me there in fall 2001 and provided encouragement with their example and wisdom: Moh Ghanoonparvar, adam newton, esther raizen, abe Marcus, Kamran aghaie, faegheh shirazi, Keith Walters, Peter abboud , Mohammad Mohammad, Mahmoudal-Batal, and Kristen Brustad . i want to thank successive chairs in particular for funding support and research leave: Harold liebowitz, abe Marcus, ian Manners, and esther raizen. all have served with such fairness and effectiveness as to create a hospitable and invigorating environment crucial for scholarship and communication. at a critical point in the writing of this book, i had the privilege of teaching an undergraduate seminar titled “loyalty and rebellion inarabic literature,” where we focused on the issues of patronage and literary performance in medieval arabic and icelandic societies. those seventeen students discussed, wrote, and thought along with me during fall 2005, thus enriching the book. With the support of the department and the dean of the college of liberal arts, i was given a research leave in 2004–5 to accept the fulbrightHays faculty research abroad Grant. this grant, as well as that of x acknowledgments 1998–99, not only offered the opportunity to write in peace, but to examine manuscripts at world archives. Without that funding, it would not have been feasible for a private individual to finance trips to spain for the real Biblioteca del Monasterio, san lorenzo de el escorial, Madrid; to Germany to visit the staatsbibliothek, Berlin, and Universit ätsbibliothek leipzig, Bibliothek der deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft; to egypt for the Manuscript institute of the arab league and the egyptian nationalarchive in cairo; and to Morocco to use the Madrasat Ben yusif library (Marrakesh), Bibliothèque Hasaniya (rabat), and Bibliothèque Générale (rabat). i mention this funding in name to indicate the critical role of public funds in supporting research and cultural understanding. i am grateful as well to family and friends who have voluntarily made sacrifices for this book, and i appreciate their constant...