Bibliothèque de la Littérature Arabe Séries

Cette série rend accessibles des œuvres majeures de la littérature arabe, de l'époque préislamique jusqu'au XIXe siècle. Elle couvre un large éventail de genres, incluant la poésie, la prose, les textes religieux, la philosophie, l'histoire et les récits de voyage. Chaque volume est édité et traduit par des experts reconnus, visant à faire découvrir le riche héritage littéraire arabe à un large public ainsi qu'aux universitaires.

Brains Confounded by the Ode of Abu Shaduf Expounded

Brains Confounded by the Ode of Abu Shaduf Expounded, with Risible Rhymes

Ordre de lecture recommandé

Mission to the Volga
Aḥmad Ibn Faḍlān
138pages
5 heures de lecture
3,7(56)Évaluer
The earliest surviving instance of sustained first-person travel narrative in Arabic Mission to the Volga is a pioneering text of peerless historical and literary value. In its pages, we move north on a diplomatic mission from Baghdad to the upper reaches of the Volga River in what is now central Russia. In this colorful documentary from the tenth century, the enigmatic Ibn Fadlan relates his experiences as part of an embassy sent by Caliph al-Muqtadir to deliver political and religious instruction to the recently-converted King of the Bulghars. During eleven months of grueling travel, Ibn Fadlan records the marvels he witnesses on his journey, including an aurora borealis and the white nights of the North. Crucially, he offers a description of the Viking Rus, including their customs, clothing, body painting, and a striking account of a ship funeral. Together, these anecdotes illuminate a vibrant world of diversity during the heyday of the Abbasid Empire, narrated with as much curiosity and zeal as they were perceived by its observant beholder. An English-only edition.
The Life and Times of Abu Tammam
Abu Bakr al-Suli
332pages
12 heures de lecture
4,0(1)Évaluer
Abū Tammām (d. 231 or 232/845 or 846) is one of the most celebrated poets in the Arabic language. Born in Syria to Greek Christian parents, he converted to Islam and quickly made his name as one of the premier Arabic poets in the caliphal court of Baghdad, promoting a new style of poetry that merged abstract and complex imagery with archaic Bedouin language. Both highly controversial and extremely popular, this sophisticated verse influenced all subsequent poetry in Arabic and epitomized the “modern style” (badīʻ), an avant-garde aesthetic that was very much in step with the intellectual, artistic, and cultural vibrancy of the Abbasid dynasty.In The Life and Times of Abū Tammām, translated into English for the first time, the courtier and scholar Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn Yaḥyāal-Ṣūlī (d. 335 or 336/946 or 947) mounts a robust defense of “modern” poetry and of Abū Tammām's significance as a poet against his detractors, while painting a lively picture of literary life in Baghdad and Samarra. Born into an illustrious family of Turkish origin, al-Ṣūlī was a courtier, companion, and tutor to the Abbasid caliphs. He wrote extensively on caliphal history and poetry and, as a scholar of “modern” poets, made a lasting contribution to the field of Arabic literary history. Like the poet it promotes, al-Ṣūlī's text is groundbreaking: it represents a major step in the development of Arabic poetics, and inaugurates a long line of treatises on innovation in poetry
The Epistle on Legal Theory
Muhammad Ibn Idris al-Shafi'i
338pages
12 heures de lecture
4,0(3)Évaluer
The Epistle on Legal Theory is the oldest surviving Arabic work on Islamic legal theory and the foundational document of Islamic jurisprudence. Its author, Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi'i (d 204 H/820 AD), was the eponym of the Shafi'i school of legal thought, one of the four rites in Sunni Islam. This book deals with this work.
Brains Confounded by the Ode of Abu Shaduf Expounded, with Risible Rhymes
Yusuf al-Shirbini
380pages
14 heures de lecture
4,0(1)Évaluer
Witty, bawdy, and vicious, Yūsuf al-Shirbīnī’s Brains Confounded pits the “coarse” rural masses against the “refined” urban population. In Volume One, al-Shirbīnī describes the three rural “types”—peasant cultivator, village man-of-religion, and rural dervish—offering anecdotes testifying to the ignorance, dirtiness, and criminality of each. In Volume Two, he presents a hilarious parody of the verse-and-commentary genre so beloved by scholars of his day, with a 47-line poem supposedly written by a peasant named Abū Shādūf, who charts the rise and fall of his fortunes. Wielding the scholarly tools of elite literature, al-Shirbīnī responds to the poem with derision and ridicule, dotting his satire with digressions into love, food, and flatulence. Volume Two of Brains Confounded is followed by Risible Rhymes, a concise text that includes a comic disquisition on “rural” verse, mocking the pretensions of uneducated poets from Egypt’s countryside. Risible Rhymes also examines various kinds of puzzle poems, which were another popular genre of the day, and presents a debate between scholars over a line of verse by the fourth/tenth-century poet al-Mutanabbī. Together, Brains Confounded and Risible Rhymes offer intriguing insight into the intellectual concerns of Ottoman Egypt, showcasing the intense preoccupation with wordplay, grammar, and stylistics and shedding light on the literature of the era. An English-only edition.
Leg over Leg
Ahmad Faris Al-Shidyaq
600pages
21 heures de lecture
Brains Confounded by the Ode of Abu Shaduf Expounded
Yusuf al-Shirbini
370pages
13 heures de lecture
3,0(3)Évaluer
Witty, bawdy, and vicious, Yūsuf al-Shirbīnī’s Brains Confounded pits the “coarse” rural masses against the “refined” urban population. In Volume One, al-Shirbīnī describes the three rural “types”—peasant cultivator, village man-of-religion, and rural dervish—offering anecdotes testifying to the ignorance, dirtiness, and criminality of each. In Volume Two, he presents a hilarious parody of the verse-and-commentary genre so beloved by scholars of his day, with a 47-line poem supposedly written by a peasant named Abū Shādūf, who charts the rise and fall of his fortunes. Wielding the scholarly tools of elite literature, al-Shirbīnī responds to the poem with derision and ridicule, dotting his satire with digressions into love, food, and flatulence. Volume Two of Brains Confounded is followed by Risible Rhymes, a concise text that includes a comic disquisition on “rural” verse, mocking the pretensions of uneducated poets from Egypt’s countryside. Risible Rhymes also examines various kinds of puzzle poems, which were another popular genre of the day, and presents a debate between scholars over a line of verse by the fourth/tenth-century poet al-Mutanabbī. Together, Brains Confounded and Risible Rhymes offer intriguing insight into the intellectual concerns of Ottoman Egypt, showcasing the intense preoccupation with wordplay, grammar, and stylistics and shedding light on the literature of the era. An English-only edition.
Consorts of the Caliphs
Ibn Síná
172pages
7 heures de lecture
3,8(11)Évaluer
Accounts of remarkable women at the world's most powerful court Consorts of the Caliphs is a seventh/thirteenth-century compilation ofanecdotes about thirty-eight women who were consorts to those in power, most ofthem concubines of the early Abbasid caliphs and wives of latter-day caliphsand sultans. This slim but illuminating volume is one of the few survivingtexts by the prolific Baghdadi scholar Ibn al-Sa'i,who chronicled the academic and political elites of his city in the final yearsof the Abbasid dynasty and the period following the cataclysmic Mongol invasionof 656 H/1258 AD.In this work, Ibn al-Sa'i is keen toforge a connection between the munificent wives of his time and the storiedlovers of the so-called golden age of Baghdad. Thus, from the earlier period,we find Harun al-Rashid pining for his brother's beautiful slave, Ghadir, andthe artistry of such musical and literary celebrities as Arib and Fadl, whobested the male poets and singers of their day. From times closer to Ibn al-Sa?i's own, wemeet women such as Banafsha, who endowed law colleges, had bridges built, andprovisioned pilgrims bound for Mecca; slave women whose funeral services wereled by caliphs; and noble Saljuq princesses from Afghanistan.Informed by the author's own sources, hisinsider knowledge, and well-known literary materials, these singularbiographical sketches bring the belletristic culture of the Baghdad court to life,particularly in the personal narratives and poetry of culture heroinesotherwise lost to history
The Epistle of Forgiveness
Abu l-'Ala al-Ma'arri
584pages
21 heures de lecture
3,8(28)Évaluer
Known as “one of the most complex and unusual texts in Arabic literature” (Banipal Magazine), 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 by an obscure grammarian, Ibn al-Qari. With biting irony, The Epistle of Forgiveness mocks Ibn al-Qari’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. In al-Ma'arri’s imaginative telling, Ibn al-Qari 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. Among other things, he introduces us to hypocrites, poets, princes, rebels, mystics, and apostates, with asides on piety, superstition, wine-drinking, old age, and other topics. This remarkable book is the first complete translation of this masterpiece into any language, all the more impressive because of Al-Ma'arri's highly ornate and difficult style, his use of rhymed prose, and his numerous obscure words and expressions. 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. An English-only edition.
Classical Arabic Literature
G. J. H. van Gelder
496pages
18 heures de lecture
4,7(16)Évaluer
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.
The Principles of Sufism
A'Ishah Al-Ba'Uniyyah
224pages
8 heures de lecture
4,2(47)Évaluer
Authoritative and reliable editions of the Arabic and modern, lucid English translations introducing treasures of the Arabic literary heritage
The Expeditions
Mamar Ibn Rashid
324pages
12 heures de lecture
4,3(10)Évaluer
The Expeditions is one of the oldest biographies of the Prophet Muhammad to survive into the modern era. Its primary author, Ma'mar ibn Rashid (714-770 AD/96-153 AH), was a prominent scholar from Basra in southern Iraq who was revered for his learning in prophetic traditions, Islamic law, and the interpretation of the Qur'an. This fascinating foundational seminal work contains stories handed down by Ma'mar to his most prominent pupil, 'Abd al-Razzaq of Sanaa, relating Muhammad s early life and prophetic career as well as the adventures and tribulations of his earliest followers during their conquest of the Near East.Edited from a sole surviving manuscript, the Arabic text offers numerous improved readings over those of previous editions, including detailed notes on the text s transmission and variants as found in later works. This new translation, which renders the original into readable, modern English for the first time, is accompanied by numerous annotations elucidating the cultural, religious and historical contexts of the events and individuals described within its pages.The Expeditionsrepresents an important testimony to the earliest Muslims memory of the lives of Muhammad and his companions, and is an indispensable text for gaining insight into the historical biography of both the Prophet and the rise of the Islamic empire."
Accounts of China and India
Abu Zayd Al-Sirafi
124pages
5 heures de lecture
3,8(5)Évaluer
The ninth and tenth centuries witnessed the establishment of a substantial network of maritime trade across the Indian Ocean, providing the real-life background to the Sinbad tales. An exceptional exemplar of Arabic travel writing, Accounts of China and India is a compilation of reports and anecdotes about the lands and peoples of this diverse territory, from the Somali headlands of Africa to the far eastern shores of China and Korea. Traveling eastward, we discover a vivid human landscape—from Chinese society to Hindu religious practices—as well as a colorful range of natural wilderness—from flying fish to Tibetan musk-deer and Sri Lankan gems. The juxtaposed accounts create a kaleidoscope of a world not unlike our own, a world on the road to globalization. In its ports, we find a priceless cargo of information. Here are the first foreign descriptions of tea and porcelain, a panorama of unusual social practices, cannibal islands, and Indian holy men—a marvelous, mundane world, contained in the compass of a novella. An English-only edition.
War Songs
'Antarah ibn Shaddad
320pages
12 heures de lecture
4,2(36)Évaluer
Poems of love and battle by Arabia’s legendary warrior From the sixth-century highlands of Najd in the Arabian peninsula, on the eve of the advent of Islam, come the strident cries of a legendary warrior and poet. The black outcast son of an Arab father and an Ethiopian slave mother, 'Antarah ibn Shaddad struggled to win the recognition of his father and tribe. He defied social norms and, despite his outcast status, loyally defended his people. 'Antarah captured his tumultuous life in uncompromising poetry that combines flashes of tenderness with blood-curdling violence. His war songs are testaments to his life-long battle to win the recognition of his people and the hand of 'Ablah, the free-born woman he loved but who was denied him by her family. War Songs presents the poetry attributed to 'Antarah and includes a selection of poems taken from the later Epic of 'Antar, a popular story-cycle that continues to captivate and charm Arab audiences to this day with tales of its hero’s titanic feats of strength and endurance. 'Antarah’s voice resonates here, for the first time in vibrant, contemporary English, intoning its eternal truths: commitment to one’s beliefs, loyalty to kith and kin, and fidelity in love.
A Hundred and One Nights
Collectif d'auteurs
272pages
10 heures de lecture
3,9(7)Évaluer
Features an almost entirely different set of stories, however, each one more thrilling, amusing, and disturbing than the last. This book includes tales of epic warriors, buried treasures, disappearing brides, cannibal demon women, fatal shipwrecks, and clever ruses, where human strength and more.
A Treasury of Virtues
al-Qadi al-Quda'i
306pages
11 heures de lecture
Ali ibn Abi Talib was an acknowledged master of Arabic eloquence and a renowned sage of Islamic wisdom. This is a collection of sayings, sermons, and teachings attributed to 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (d 40H/661AD), cousin and son-in- law of the Prophet Muhammad, first Shi'a Imam and fourth Sunni Caliph.
Ibn Fadlan and the Land of Darkness
Aḥmad Ibn Faḍlān
256pages
9 heures de lecture
4,0(679)Évaluer
Between the ninth and fourteenth centuries, Arab travellers such as Ibn Fadlan journeyed widely and frequently into the far north, crossing territories that now include Russia, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. This title offers an illuminating insight into the world of the Arab geographers, and the medieval lands of the far north.
Ibn Fadlan's Journey to Russia: A Tenth-Century Traveler from Baghad to the Volga River
Aḥmad Ibn Faḍlān
3,9(22)Évaluer
This is the first English translation of the famous Risala, letters by the tenth-century traveler Ibn Fadlan, one of the great medieval travelers in world history, akin to Ibn Battuta. Ibn Fadlan was an Arab missionary sent by the Caliph in Baghdad to the king of the Bulghars. He journeyed from Baghdad to Bukhara in Central Asia and then continued across the desert to the town of Bulghar, near present Kazan. He describes the tribes he met on his way and gives an account of their customs. His is the earliest account of a meeting with the Vikings, called Rus, who had reached the Volga River from Sweden. His detailed description of the Rus, or Rusiya as he calls them, has produced much discussion about their origins, sexual moral standards, customs, treatment of slaves and women, burial traditions, and trading habits. The story of his travels has fascinated scholars and even prompted Michael Crichton to write the popular novel Eaters of the Dead, which was made into a film entitled The 13th Warrior.
Al-Shafi'i's Risala
Muhammad Ibn Idris al-Shafi'i
380pages
14 heures de lecture
4,3(27)Évaluer
Written in the second Islamic century by al-Imam al-Shafi'i (d. 204AH/ 820AD), the founder of one of the four Sunni schools of law, this important work gives the fundamental principles of Islamic jurisprudence, and its influence continues to the present day.