Description
A tenth-century Iraqi longing for the happy days of the past took to collecting verse graffiti left behind by travelers and others who did not feel at home where they were in order to console himself. Some of the graffiti he had come across himself; others he had only heard about or read in books, and many of them clearly belong in the realm of fiction. But all voiced sentiments similar to his own. The result of his pastime was a little book, at once sad and irreverent, that conjures up his nostalgic mood in a manner not attempted before or since in Arabic literature, rich in nostalgic poetry though it is.
The Book of Strangers offers a translation of this work and a discussion of both its authorship, traditionally credited to the famous anthologist Abu 'l Faraj al-Isfahani, and its cultural context. The book is intended for specialists and lay readers alike. The translation is accompanied by a commentary identifying people, places, and other matters; and though the discussion of the author and his cultural context is necessarily more technical, specialist knowledge is not taken for granted.
Author: Patricia Crone
Publisher: Markus Wiener Publishers
Published: 10/30/2019
Pages: 204
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.67lbs
Size: 9.02h x 5.98w x 0.47d
ISBN13: 9781558762152
ISBN10: 1558762159
BISAC Categories:
- Literary Criticism | African
- History | Middle East | General
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