Description

The Arabian Nights and Orientalism in Resonance was especially commissioned to celebrate the tercentenary of the first Western edition of The Arabian Nights. This volume marries Western and Japanese perspectives on The Arabian Nights to provide a fascinating study of how this literary phenomenon brought about a unique and rich cross-cultural fertilization. The volume is divided into three sections: the first part deals with narrative motifs and styles; the second part examines the 'Nights' from a comparative point of view and the third part unfolds the relationship between the written text and its pictorial representation. Extensively illustrated throughout, The Arabian Nights and Orientalism in Resonance will be of interest to scholars of the Middle East as well as anyone who has ever fallen under the spell of Scheherazade's stories.

Author Info

Yuriko Yamanaka is Assistant Professor at the National Museum of Ethnology, Japan. Tetsuo Nishio is Associate Professor at the National Museum of Ethnology, Japan. He has been leading a joint project on the Arabian Nights, and is author of 'The Arabian Nights Illustrated'. Robert Irwin has taught Arabic and Middle Eastern History at the universities of Oxford, Cambridge and London. He is also the Middle East editor for the Times Literary Supplement and an author of numerous books on Arabic literature, including 'The Arabian Nights: A Companion' (Tauris Parke Paperbacks).

Review

MIDDLE EAST'

This volume marries western and Japanese perspectives on The Arabian Nights to provide a fascinating study of how this literary phenomenon brought about a unique and rich cross-cultural fertilisation.'

Bibliographic Info