How Do You Say "Epigram" in Arabic?: Literary History at the Limits of Comparison

Mon, 01 Jan 2018 00:00:00 +0000

This monograph presents the first history of the Arabic epigram form (مقطوع). This form was extremely popular in the later half of pre-modern Arabic literary history (c. 1200–1900) and remains largely unknown in contemporary scholarship. It ranks among the most accessible and immediate literary forms in Arabic and appeared ubiquitously in all manner of literary texts from the period. The epigrams treat amatory and erotic themes, descriptions of natural and luxury objects, jokes, and riddles. The monograph presents the first sustained scholarly engagement with this genre while examining the category of epigram in world literature and its application across literary traditions including Arabic, Persian, Hebrew, and Turkish. The study offers a new history of classical Arabic literature while addressing important theoretical and critical issues in comparative literature.

Arabic Literature, 1200–1800: A New Orientation

Fri, 01 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000

Edited by Monica Balda-Tillier and Adam Talib.

Special Issue of Annales Islamologiques (Volume 49, Cairo: Institut français d’archéologie orientale, 2016).

Literary History on Adam Talib

How Do You Say "Epigram" in Arabic?: Literary History at the Limits of Comparison

Arabic Literature, 1200–1800: A New Orientation