The Arabian Nights: A Companion (Penguin literary criticism) - Softcover

Irwin, Robert

4.18

185 ratings by Goodreads

9780140098631: The Arabian Nights: A Companion (Penguin literary criticism)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0140098631 ISBN 13: 9780140098631

Publisher: Penguin, 1995

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A companion to "The Arabian Nights", this text examines how the stories came to be put together; the transmission from Sanskrit, Persian, Greek and Coptic sources; the style and vocabulary; the influences that the tales have had on Western art and literature; the problem of "orientalism"; and critical attitudes to the tales over the centuries.

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Review:

'A generous and erudite book...We're in the company of someone who loves 'The Arabian Nights', and who has generously shared that love with us through this companion.' --Michele Roberts, Independent on Sunday

'Superlative...just the sort of relaxed, informative book that Edmund Wilson might have written had he grown interested in the Middle East and its early literature.' --Michael Dirda, Washington Post

'Irwin organizes his material like a good storyteller...he gives us the crystallized sum of The Nights: ancedote, history, moral fable, aphorism, story after story, wonder upon wonder. This monumental, infinitely faceted gem should be every writer's bedtime sampler.' --Michael Moorcock, New Statesman & Society

About the Author:

Robert Irwin has taught Arabic and Middle Eastern History at the universities of Oxford, Cambridge and London. Publisher and novelist, he is also the Middle East editor for the Times Literary Supplement and a prolific author.

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