Woodslane | Book - 9780814763780

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ISBN-13: 9780814763780
Publisher: NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS
Imprint: NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS
By Abu l-'Ala' al-Ma'arri, Edited and translated by Geert Jan van Gelder, Edited and translated by Gregor Schoeler
Price: AUD $86.99
Stock: 0 in stock
Availability: This book is temporarily out of stock, order will be despatched as soon as fresh stock is received.
Local release date: 22/09/2013
Format: Hardback (203.00mm X 127.00mm) 464 pages Weight: 50g
Categories: Prose: non-fiction [DN]

Description
Google Preview: 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.; Google Preview content