Tales from the Thousand and One Nights
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- ISBN 9780140442892
- Weight: 302g
- Dimensions: 128 x 196mm
- Publication Date: 31 May 1973
- Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
- Publication City/Country: GB
- Product Form: Paperback
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Sometimes known as the Arabian Nights, Tales from the Thousand and One Nights includes some of the world's best-loved tales, including such classics as Aladdin and 'Sindbad the Sailor'
The tales told by Scheherazade over a thousand and one nights to delay her execution by the vengeful King Shahryar have become among the most popular in both Eastern and Western literature. From the epic adventures of 'Aladdin and the Enchanted Lamp' to the farcical 'Young Woman and her Five Lovers' and the social criticism of 'The Tale of the Hunchback', the stories depict a fabulous world of all-powerful sorcerers, jinns imprisoned in bottles and enchanting princesses. But despite their imaginative extravagance, the Tales are also anchored to everyday life by their bawdiness and realism, providing a full and intimate record of medieval Eastern world.
In this selection, N.J. Dawood presents the reader with an unexpurgated translation of the finest and best-known tales, preserving their spirited narrative style in lively modern English. In his introduction, he discusses their origins in the East and their differences from Classical Arabic literature, and examines English translations of the tales since the eighteenth century.
N.J. Dawood founded The Arabic Advertising & Publishing Company in 1959, which is now one of the major producers of Arabic typesetting outside of the Middle East. He is best known for his translation of the Koran, the first in contemporary English, for the Penguin Classics in 1956. It has now sold over a million copies.
