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bronkmb's review against another edition
5.0
This was the book that kicked off mad purchase of more "Robert Irwin." Stimulating, informative, and easy to digest. I selected this book to understand The Arabian Nights better; this and so much more.
Currently reading The Arabian Nightmare, A Novel - and finding all those intriguing bits splashed against the nonfiction accounts - just as early compositions blending the worlds of fiction and nonfiction to create aja'ib - wonderful!
Currently reading The Arabian Nightmare, A Novel - and finding all those intriguing bits splashed against the nonfiction accounts - just as early compositions blending the worlds of fiction and nonfiction to create aja'ib - wonderful!
meganzc's review against another edition
3.0
I am tempted to give this book a higher rating because of the breadth and quality of the scholarship. It is clear that Irwin has had to scour many obscure texts in many languages (most remain untranslated) that are furthermore only available in a few libraries around the world. Much of the information he collects I do not have access to anywhere else. I am excited by all I have learned from this text.
Irwin's purpose was to give a rather broad survey of themes related to the Nights (including origins and authorship, issues of translation, historical context, formal structure and motifs, and influence on later literature), and to that end he succeeds. However, the end result was thoroughly unsatisfying for me. Every time my interest piqued and I wanted to know more, he moved on rather than diving deeper. Deep analysis and history were not Irwin's aims, so I am not sure he really deserves to be faulted for the lack. That said, I rate books according to my experience of them, not according to some objective standard (which couldn't exist anyway). I would still enthusiastically recommend it to anyone looking for further background on the Nights.
Irwin's purpose was to give a rather broad survey of themes related to the Nights (including origins and authorship, issues of translation, historical context, formal structure and motifs, and influence on later literature), and to that end he succeeds. However, the end result was thoroughly unsatisfying for me. Every time my interest piqued and I wanted to know more, he moved on rather than diving deeper. Deep analysis and history were not Irwin's aims, so I am not sure he really deserves to be faulted for the lack. That said, I rate books according to my experience of them, not according to some objective standard (which couldn't exist anyway). I would still enthusiastically recommend it to anyone looking for further background on the Nights.
arafat's review against another edition
3.0
This is a good reader, and not just as a companion to the Arabian Nights. The book reads almost like a cultural history (esp. of literature and the arts) of the medieval Near East. Irwin does a great job of reviewing the history of the Nights tradition, starting from some of the early (Indian) sources all the way up to the 18th/19th century French/British translation enterprise. There's a lot to learn here and while the book isn't academic in the sense of dense, daunting prose (that's a compliment...), it's a great starting point for further readings. I ended up discovering a lot of fun/quirky details about medieval Arab/Muslim culture. If you're a fan of the 1001 Nights, this book is a must read. If you're not, well, read this book and you'll become one!
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