
The Epistle of Forgiveness: Volume One: A Vision of Heaven and Hell
Abu L-?Ala? Al-Ma?Arri
One of the most unusual books in classical Arabic literature, The Epistle of Forgiveness is the lengthy reply by the prolific Syrian poet and prose writer Abu l-'Ala' al-Ma'arri (d. 449/1057), to a letter written by an obscure grammarian, Ibn al-Qarih. With biting irony, The Epistle of Forgiveness mocks Ibn al-Qarih's hypocrisy and sycophancy by imagining he has died and arrived with some difficulty in Heaven, where he meets famous poets and philologists from the past. He also glimpses Hell, and converses with the Devil and various heretics. Al-Ma'arri—a maverick, a vegan, and often branded a heretic himself—seems to mock popular ideas about the Hereafter. This book, the first of two volumes, includes Ibn al-Qarih’s initial letter to al-Ma'arri, as well as the first half of The Epistle of Forgiveness.
This translation is the first complete translation in any language and retains the many digressions, difficult passages, and convoluted grammatical discussions of the original typically omitted in other translations. It is accompanied by a comprehensive introduction and detailed annotation. Replete with erudite commentary, amusing anecdotes, and sardonic wit, The Epistle of Forgiveness is an imaginative tour-de-force by one of the most pre-eminent figures in classical Arabic literature.
A bilingual Arabic-English edition.
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About Abu L-?Ala? Al-Ma?Arri
Reviews for The Epistle of Forgiveness: Volume One: A Vision of Heaven and Hell
Banipal Magazine
While casual readers can pick up The Epistle of Forgiveness and enjoy a few pages of ancient satire and puns, more academic readers of eschatological literature and Arabic linguistics will appreciate the formidable efforts entailed in this translation's . . . present[ation of] a prose work by 'one of the great poets in Arabic literary history' to contemporary readers.
Al Jadid
A spirited, adroit translation.
Dame Marina Warner
author of Esmond & Ilia: An Unreliable Memoir