Translation and detailed commentary of a fourteenth-century Low-German work about the Near and Middle East.
That extensive travel took place during the Middle Ages has long been established, via such accounts as, for example, Marco Polo’s
Devisement du Monde; but there remains a relative paucity of documents or narratives confirming and dealing with this phenomenon.
Der Niederrheinische Orientbericht (‘An Account of the Middle East’), composed around 1350/55 by an anonymous author in Low German, is powerful evidence of international relations between east and west during this period; it provides extensive information, dealing with such matters as the local culture, fauna and flora, and offers spectacular insights into the co-existence of many different religions and peoples. It is therefore an important source for our knowledge; but it has hitherto been neglected by scholars, not least because of the difficulty of its language.
This volume offers the first translation into English, thereby making the work available to a wider audience; it is accompanied by a detailed commentary on its historical, religious, military, architectural and political elements, elucidating the narrative fully. The volume also contains a contextual introduction, considering what can be known of the author, and the manuscript tradition.
Tabella dei contenuti
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Translation
Commentary
Appendix: Sample Pages of the Original Manuscript
to Illustrate the Author’s Middle Low German Language
Bibliography of Works Consulted
Index
Circa l’autore
ALBRECHT CLASSEN is University Distinguished Professor of German Studies at the University of Arizona; he received the title of Grand Knight Commander of the Most Noble Order of the Three Lions in 2017, in recognition of his outstanding service to German studies.
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