Brains Confounded by the Ode of Ab Shdf Expounded (Hardcover)

Language: English

Published by New York University Press, New York, 2016

1479882348 / 9781479882342

Series: Book 36 of 57 - Library of Arabic Literature

  • Hardcover
  • New
See all details

Seller: AussieBookSeller, Truganina, VIC, AustraliaAussieBookSeller

5-star seller

AbeBooks seller since June 22, 2007

Hardcover

Condition: New

£ 77.00

£ 27.94 shipping 
Ships from Australia to U.S.A.

Quantity: 1 available

Add to basket
Free 30-day returns

Item description from seller

Hardcover. Unique in pre-twentieth-century Arabic literature for taking the countryside as its central theme, Yusuf al-Shirbini's Brains Confounded combines a mordant satire on seventeenth-century Egyptian rural society with a hilarious parody of the verse-and-commentary genre so beloved by scholars of his day. In Volume One, al-Shirbini describes the three rural "types"peasant cultivator, village man-of-religion and rural dervishoffering numerous anecdotes testifying to the ignorance, dirtiness, illiteracy, lack of proper religious understanding, and criminality of each. He follows it in Volume Two with a 47-line poem supposedly written by a peasant named Abu Shaduf, who charts the rise and fall of his fortunes and bewails, above all, the lack of access to delicious foods to which his poverty has condemned him. Wielding the scholarly tools of elite literature, al-Shirbini responds to the poem with derision and ridicule, dotting his satire of the ignorant rustic with numerous digressions into love, food, and flatulence. Witty, bawdy, and vicious, Brains Confounded belongs to an unrecognized genre from an understudied period in Egypt's Ottoman history, and is a work of outstanding importance for the study of pre-modern colloquial Egyptian Arabic, pitting the "coarse" rural masses against the "refined" and urbane in a contest for cultural and religious primacy, with a heavy emphasis on the writing of verse as a yardstick of social acceptability. A bilingual Arabic-English edition. Unique in pre-20th-century Arabic literature for taking the countryside as its central theme, Yusuf al-Shirbini’s Brains Confounded combines a mordant satire on seventeenth-century Egyptian rural society with a hilarious parody of the verse-and-commentary genre so beloved by scholars of his day.  In Volume One, Al-Shirbini describes the three rural “types”—peasant cultivator, village man-of-religion and rural dervish—offering numerous anecdotes testifying to the ignorance, dirtiness, illiteracy, lack of proper religious understanding, and criminality of each. He follows it in Volume Two with a 47-line poem supposedly written by a peasant named Abu Shaduf, who charts the rise and fall of his fortunes and bewails, above all, the lack of access to delicious foods to which his poverty has condemned him. Wielding the scholarly tools of elite literature, al-Shirbini responds to the poem with derision and ridicule, dotting his satire of the ignorant rustic with numerous digressions into love, food, and flatulence. Witty, bawdy, and vicious, Brains Confounded belongs to an unrecognized genre from an understudied period in Egypt’s Ottoman history, and is a work of outstanding importance for the study of pre-modern colloquial Egyptian Arabic, pitting the “coarse” rural masses against the “refined” and urbane in a contest for cultural and religious primacy, with a heavy emphasis on the writing of verse as a yardstick of social acceptability. Shipping may be from our Sydney, NSW warehouse or from our UK or US warehouse, depending on stock availability.…

Seller Inventory # 9781479882342

Title
Brains Confounded by the Ode of Ab Shdf Expounded (Hardcover)
Author
Yusuf al-Shirbini
Publisher
New York University Press, New York
Publication year
2016
Condition
new
Binding
Hardcover
Language
English
ISBN 10
1479882348
ISBN 13
9781479882342
Series
Book 36 of 57: Library of Arabic Literature

AussieBookSeller

Truganina, VIC, Australia

5-star seller

AbeBooks seller since June 22, 2007

Shipping rates from Australia to U.S.A.

Item25 to 45 business days8 to 14 business days
First item£ 27.94£ 33.23
Delivery times are set by sellers and vary by carrier and location. Orders passing through Customs may face delays and buyers are responsible for any associated duties or fees. Sellers may contact you regarding additional charges to cover any increased costs to ship your items.

Payment methods

  • Visa
  • Mastercard
  • American Express
  • Apple Pay
  • Google Pay

Seller's business information

The Nile Group Pty Ltd

42 Apex Drive
Truganina, VIC Australia 3029