Stock image for illustration purposes only - book cover, edition or condition may vary.
Classical Arabic Literature: A Library of Arabic Literature Anthology
G. J. H. Van Gelder
€ 47.27
FREE Delivery in Ireland
Description for Classical Arabic Literature: A Library of Arabic Literature Anthology
Paperback. Brings to life the rich variety of pre-modern Arabic social and cultural life, where secular texts happily coexisted with religious ones Series: Library of Arabic Literature. Num Pages: 496 pages, black & white illustrations. BIC Classification: 2CSR; DSBB. Category: (P) Professional & Vocational. Dimension: 228 x 154 x 27. Weight in Grams: 670.
A major achievement in the field of translation, this anthology presents a rich assortment of classical Arabic poems and literary prose, from pre-Islamic times until the 18th century, with short introductions to guide non-specialist students and informative endnotes and bibliography for advanced scholars. Like many pre-modern Arabic anthologies it aims at being both entertaining and informative. It ranges from the early Bedouin poems with their evocation of desert life to refined urban lyrical verse, from tender love poetry to sonorous eulogy or vicious lampoons, and from the heights of mystical rapture to the frivolity of comic verse. The prose contains anecdotes, entertaining or edifying tales and parables, a fairy-tale, a bawdy story, samples of literary criticism, and much more. With this anthology, distinguished Arabist Geert Jan van Gelder brings together well-known texts as well as less familiar pieces that will be new even to scholars in the field. Many recent studies and anthologies of Middle Eastern literatures are primarily interested in Islam and religious matters-an emphasis that leads to the common misconception that almost everything in the region was and is dominated by religion. Classical Arabic Literature instead brings to life the rich variety of pre-modern Arabic social and cultural life, where secular texts happily coexisted with religious ones. This masterful anthology, in English only, will introduce this vibrant literary heritage to a wide spectrum of new readers.
Product Details
Publisher
New York University Press United States
Number of pages
496
Format
Paperback
Publication date
2012
Series
Library of Arabic Literature
Condition
New
Weight
724g
Number of Pages
496
Place of Publication
New York, United States
ISBN
9780814738269
SKU
V9780814738269
Shipping Time
Usually ships in 7 to 11 working days
Ref
99-50
About G. J. H. Van Gelder
Geert Jan van Gelder was Laudian Professor of Arabic at the University of Oxford from 1998 to 2012. He is the author of several books on classical Arabic literature, including Beyond the Line: Classical Arabic Literary Critics on the Coherence and Unity of the Poem and Of Dishes and Discourse: Classical Arabic Literary Representations of Food.
Reviews for Classical Arabic Literature: A Library of Arabic Literature Anthology
The translations of this volume are a marvel, and often a tour de forceprecise, highly readable and evocative, with the benefit of well-honed use of iambic and other rhythmic devices. Though Van Gelder reminds us that he is not a native English speaker, his English strikes me as no less superlative than, say, Nabokovs mastery of the language
The National
By and large, this volume, and indeed the entire series, promises to be an invaluable mine of knowledge for scholars and general readers who need an introduction to the universal appeal and validity of the enlightening and enlightened literary heritage of the Arabic-Islamic intellectual tradition.
Journal of Islamic Studies
The perfect collection to launch the Library of Arabic Literatureof interest to the scholar, the student, and the general reader. Its coverage is excellent, both in terms of historical sweep and generic variety.
Richard Sieburth, Professor of Comparative Literature, New York University Van Gelder's translations are pleasant and clear, which is no small feat, especially with poetry... A work that will be enjoyed by many scholars and lay readers.
Letizia Osti
Middle East Literatures
Promises to be an invaluable mine of knowledge for scholars and general readers who need an introduction to the universal appeal and validity of the enlightening and enlightened literary heritage of the Arabic-Islamic intellectual tradition.
Journal of Islamic Studies
Ranges over more than seven centuries, and flows with surprises and delights, aching love poems and weird, cruel fables, and Thomas Browneian reflections on the nature of Flies, or the relations between mystics and elephants, all beguilingly rendered and scrupulously commented.
Marina Warner
Times Literary Supplement
Van Gelder succeeds in maintaining a high standard for literary translation This anthology is remarkable in its attention to the intricate patterns of meter and rhyme in Arabic poetry and in its combination of familiar and unfamiliar texts. Highly recommended.
Choice
The National
By and large, this volume, and indeed the entire series, promises to be an invaluable mine of knowledge for scholars and general readers who need an introduction to the universal appeal and validity of the enlightening and enlightened literary heritage of the Arabic-Islamic intellectual tradition.
Journal of Islamic Studies
The perfect collection to launch the Library of Arabic Literatureof interest to the scholar, the student, and the general reader. Its coverage is excellent, both in terms of historical sweep and generic variety.
Richard Sieburth, Professor of Comparative Literature, New York University Van Gelder's translations are pleasant and clear, which is no small feat, especially with poetry... A work that will be enjoyed by many scholars and lay readers.
Letizia Osti
Middle East Literatures
Promises to be an invaluable mine of knowledge for scholars and general readers who need an introduction to the universal appeal and validity of the enlightening and enlightened literary heritage of the Arabic-Islamic intellectual tradition.
Journal of Islamic Studies
Ranges over more than seven centuries, and flows with surprises and delights, aching love poems and weird, cruel fables, and Thomas Browneian reflections on the nature of Flies, or the relations between mystics and elephants, all beguilingly rendered and scrupulously commented.
Marina Warner
Times Literary Supplement
Van Gelder succeeds in maintaining a high standard for literary translation This anthology is remarkable in its attention to the intricate patterns of meter and rhyme in Arabic poetry and in its combination of familiar and unfamiliar texts. Highly recommended.
Choice