Short fiction was an immensely innovative art in the medieval Arab world, providing the perfect vehicle for transmitting dazzling images of life and experiences as early as pre-Islamic times. These works also speak to the urbanization of the Arab domain after Islam, mirroring the bustling life of the Muslim Arabs and Islamized Persians and reflecting the sure stamp of an urbanity that had settled very staunchly after big conquests. All the noises and voices of the Umayyads and Abbasids are here. One can taste the flavor of Abbasid food, witness the rise of slave girls and singers, and experience the pride of state. Reading these texts today illuminates the wide spectrum of early Arab life and suggests the influences and innovations that flourished so vibrantly in medieval Arab society.
Salma Khadra Jayyusi is the author of the two-volume Trends and Movements in Modern Arabic Poetry. She is the founder and director of East-West Nexus, dedicated to the study of Arabic civilization and cultural achievements, and the Project of Translation from Arabic, PROTA.
Über den Autor
Salma Khadra Jayyusi is the author of the two-volume Trends and Movements in Modern Arabic Poetry. She is the founder and director of East-West Nexus, dedicated to the study of Arabic civilization and cultural achievements, and the Project of Translation from Arabic, PROTA.
Inhaltsverzeichnis
Preface and AcknowledgmentsIntroductionI. Pre-Islamic TalesII. Tales of Rulers and Other Notable PersonsIII. Tales of Danger and WarfareIV. Tales of ReligionV. Comic Tales: Tales of JuhaOther Comic TalesVI. Tales of the Strange or SupernaturalVII. Tales of LoveVIII. Excerpts from Seven Major Classical WorksNotes on the TranslatorsIndex
Klappentext
Short fiction was an immensely innovative art in the medieval Arab world, providing the perfect vehicle for transmitting dazzling images of life and experiences as early as pre-Islamic times. These works also speak to the urbanization of the Arab domain after Islam, mirroring the bustling life of the Muslim Arabs and Islamized Persians and reflecting the sure stamp of an urbanity that had settled very staunchly after big conquests. All the noises and voices of the Umayyads and Abbasids are here. One can taste the flavor of Abbasid food, witness the rise of slave girls and singers, and experience the pride of state. Reading these texts today illuminates the wide spectrum of early Arab life and suggests the influences and innovations that flourished so vibrantly in medieval Arab society.
