Overview

This volume of The Cambridge History of Arabic Literature covers artistic prose and poetry produced in the heartland and provinces of the ’Abbasid empire during the second great period of Arabic literature, from the mid-eighth to the thirteenth centuries AD.

Characteristics of ’Abbasid Literature

’Abbasid literature was characterised by the emergence of many new genres and of a scholarly and sophisticated critical consciousness.

Content and Approach

This volume deals chronologically with the main genres and provides extended studies of major poets, prose-writers, and literary theorists. It concludes with a comprehensive survey of the relatively unknown literature of Yemen to appear in a European language since the manuscript discoveries of recent years.

Accessibility and Contributors

To make the material accessible to non-specialist readers, ’Abbasid authors are quoted in English translation wherever possible, and clear explanations of their literary techniques and conventions are provided. With chapters by leading specialists from the Middle East, Europe, and America, the volume represents a wide cross-section of current academic opinion.