The stories of The Arabian Nights (and stories within stories, and stories within stories within stories) are famously told by the Princess Shahrazad, under the threat of death should the king lose interest in her tale. Collected over the centuries from India, Persia, and Arabia, and ranging from adventure fantasies, vivacious erotica, and animal fables, to pointed Sufi tales, these stories provided the daily entertainment of the medieval Islamic world at the height of its glory. No one knows exactly when a given story originated, and many circulated orally for centuries before being written down; but in the process of telling and retelling, they were modified to reflect the general life and customs of the Arab society that adapted them-a distinctive synthesis that marks the cultural and artistic history of Islam.

This translation is of the complete text of the Mahdi edition, the definitive Arabic edition of a fourteenth-century Syrian manuscript, which is the oldest surviving version of the tales and considered to be the most authentic.

About the Author
Husain Haddawy was born and grew up in Baghdad, taught English and comparative literature at various American universities, wrote art criticism, and is now living in retirement in Thailand.

Reviews
"The resourceful Shahrazad... has never been more entertaining than in this fresh and vigorous version of this immortal book." -- Doris Lessing - The Independent
"Easily the clearest, most fluent and readable translation." -- A.S. Byatt - Sunday Times [London]
"A distinguished new translation." -- Edward Said - The Nation



Book Information
ISBN 9780393331660
Author Muhsin Mahdi
Format Paperback
Page Count 560
Imprint WW Norton & Co
Publisher WW Norton & Co
Weight(grams) 432g
Dimensions(mm) 211mm * 145mm * 30mm