‘A charming and agreeable surprise . . . A welcome gift to Western readers.’ —Kirkus Reviews
‘Editor Jayyusi offers a major example of the Arabic folk epics or romances called siras . . . The siras are full of heroic adventures, exotic landscapes, love affairs, friendships, supernatural dangers, magical spells, and great Arab heroes. . . . ‘ —Library Journal
‘This text should find its place alongside the translations of other epic traditions of the world as a text well suited for use in university courses on the Middle East, world literature, epic, and folklore.’ —Journal of Arabic Literature
This colorful panorama recounts the fantastic tales of a sixth-century Arab king and offers unusual perspectives on gender, religion, race, and ethnicity. Composed between the 13th and 16th centuries and presented here in English for the first time.
Table of Content
Acknowledgments by Salma Khadra Jayyusi
Introduction by Harry Norris
Translator’s Introduction by Lena Jayyusi
1. King Dhi Yazan
2. Wahsh Al-Fala
3. The Quest for the Book of the Nile
4. Schemes & Revelations
5. The Sword
6. Weddings
7. Ghouls & Giants
8. Kings & Magicians
9. Ailments & Remedies
10. The Garden of Delights
11. The Great Battle
12. Retribution
13. The City of Maidens
Glossary of Names and Places
Appendix: References to Arabic Text
Contributors
Motif Index
About the author
LENA JAYYUSI is Chair of the Department of Communication Studies at Cedar Crest College. In 1994–95 she was an Annenberg Scholar at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. She is author of Categorization and the Moral Order.
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