The Book of Thousand Nights and One Night (4 volume set) (Volume 1-4)
by E. P. Mathers, J. C. Mardrus
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Book Summary Information
Author: E. P. Mathers, J. C. MardrusEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Format: Box set
Published: 1990-12-31
ISBN: 0415045436
Number of pages: 1200
Publisher: Routledge
Book Reviews of The Book of Thousand Nights and One Night (4 volume set) (Volume 1-4)
Book Review: A staggering work of imagination
Summary: 5 Stars
The Mardrus-Mathers version of "The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night," more colloquially know as the "Arabian Nights," is one of the few near-complete modern translations in English. This work was translated from Arabic to French by Mardrus, then from French to English by Mathers. The stories themselves were composed and compiled over the course of several hundred years from the ninth through probably the fifteenth centuries. It is a work of staggering length; the four volumes together total 2,341 pages. The translation is unexpurgated, meaning that at times it is quite sexually explicit. And it is ironic that it is so widely known as the Arabian Nights, since very few if any of the stories take place in Arabia. Most of them take place in what is now Iraq, some in Egypt, and even one in China.
Many of the stories take place during the reign of Harun al-rashid, who was Caliph of Baghdad in the late 9th and early 10th centuries. He is portrayed as a wise, generally fair, but sometimes cruel ruler. He is in the habit of disguising himself as an ordinary humble citizen, then going out among the populace to see what people really think of him. He is quick to reward the virtuous and punish the wicked. Harun is an actual historical figure, but the stories are pure fantasy, involving magic potions, people turning themselves into animals, flying carpets, mythical giant birds like the roc, and so forth. Many of the stories will already be familiar and have already become part of folklore: Sinbad the Sailor, Ala al-Din (Alladin) and the Wonderful Lamp, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. My own personal favorite was "The Tale of Sweet-Friend and Ali-Nur," a quite touching love story, even though it contains quite a lot of fantasy.
Most readers already know the context of the stories. Because a king has been cuckolded by one of his wives, he comes to hate women so much that he marries a different woman every day, then beheads her every morning. Sharazad, who knows a lot of stories, entertains him by telling him part of a story every night, always leaving off with a cliffhanging moment at the break of day. The king lets her live so that she can complete the story. When she completes the story, she very cleverly begins a new one and leaves it hanging once again so that she can live another day. This goes on for 1,001 nights, until the king finally realizes that he loves her and lets her live.
As I indicated in the title of this review, the main virtue of this collection is imagination. For sheer escapism and variety, these stories cannot be matched. They also provide an insight into Islamic culture that belies the negative image that that culture has acquired over the past few decades because of the acts of a few extremists. I can recommend these volumes without reservation.
Summary of The Book of Thousand Nights and One Night (4 volume set) (Volume 1-4)
An unabashed and accurate translation of the wonderful and enchanting tales of the Arabian Nights, complete in four volumes.Classics Books
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