Night and Horses and the Desert

Spanning the fifth to sixteenth centuries and societies that range from Afghanistan to Spain, this anthology is a testament to the astonishing grandeur and variety of classical Arabic literature. Here are excerpts from dozens of works-both renowned (The Qur'an, The Thousand and One Nights) and esoteric (Ibn Washshiyya's -Book of Poisons-; a 10th-century poem in praise of asparagus)-all accompanied by Robert Irwin's erudite commentaries that illuminate readers on the vanished world in which they were written. In Night & Horses & the Desert we encounter the dashing Byronic poetry of Imru' al-Qays and a treatise on bibliomania by Al-Jahiz, possibly the only writer to have been killed by books. There's a sorcerer's manual from 11th century Spain and an allegory by the mysterious -Brethren of Purity, - in which animals argue their case against humanity. Encompassing piety and profanity, fables and philosophy, this volume is a thrilling and invaluabe introduction to one of the world's great bodies of literature.