The Adventures of Sayf Ben Dhi Yazan: An Arab Folk Epic (Prota Book) [Hardcover]

Lena Jayyusi (Translator), Harry Norris (Introduction)

Book Description

Series: Prota Book | Publication Date: June 1996

For contemporary readers, "The Adventures of Sayf Ben Dhi Yazan" offers unusual perspectives on issues of gender, religion, race, and ethnicity, as woven into the art of an oral narrative. Composed between the 13th and 16th centuries during the Mamluk age, this folk romance is still cherished by storytellers in the Middle East. Sayf Ben Dhi Yazan was an historical figure, a 6th century Arab king who ruled in Yemen before the rise of Islam. The fantastic tales of his trials and exploits are recounted in this epic. Colourful panoramas of heroic feats, magical escapades, bizarre landscapes and beings, brief or long-lasting love affairs, sincere friendships, demonic hatreds, supernatural forces, and dark spells propel this sira - an Arabic romance in the tradition of One Thousand and One Nights - within reach for Western audiences.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Editor Jayyusi offers a major example of the Arabic folk epics or romances called siras that were composed between the 13th and 16th centuries in the Middle East. Flourishing in the same milieu that produced One Thousand and One Nights, with the Cairo-centered Mamluk state as the initial audience, the sira form may have influenced Western literary works by Ariosto and Tasso and Chaucer's "The Squire's Tale." The siras are full of heroic adventures, exotic landscapes, love affairs, friendships, supernatural dangers, magical spells, and great Arab heroes. The hero of this work is an Arab king of the Yemen who wins fame for expelling the Christian Ethiopians who were occupying his country in the sixth century. This particular sira continues to be popular in Egypt, Yemen, and Somalia, all countries that have experienced periods of hostilities with Christian Ethiopia. This readable translation is recommended for academic libraries and large public libraries with reader interest in this area.
Robert J. Andrews, Duluth P.L., Minn.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

The first (partial) translation into English of an indigenous chivalric romance set in the Nile Valley and originally composed sometime during the 13th through 16th centuries. Jayyusi's lively English version--a prose tale studded with frequent verse interpolations--reproduces approximately one-quarter of the 2,000- page Arabic original: the story of the eponymous Sayf, a Muslim ruler of Yemen before the formal establishment of Islam, in his battles against (mainly Ethiopian) ``infidels''; encounters with various jinns, monsters, and other supernatural beings and forces; and, most interestingly, quest for a wife and for an accommodation with women (who are here something more than the pallid virgins of conventional romance)--especially in his adventures in the City of Maidens and in his conflict with his scheming mother Qamariyya, a startlingly avaricious and lustful creature who is the tale's most vivid and memorable character. A charming and agreeable surprise, similar (as noted in an introduction by Harry Norris) to such corollary works as Ariosto's Orlando Furioso and, of course, The Arabian Nights. A welcome gift to Western readers. -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Indiana University Press (June 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0253330343
• ISBN-13: 978-0253330345
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,564,732 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Addition to Arabic Works in English, January 14, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Adventures of Sayf Ben Dhi Yazan: An Arab Folk Epic (Prota Book) (Hardcover)

There are far too many works of Arabic literature which have not yet been translated into English. Thus it is wonderful to see another epic become available to those of us who cannot read Arab (or Turkish... or Persian...). Lena Jayussi has done a splendid job with the translation, crafting an enjoyable read. Sayf Ben Dhi Yazan's adventures will delight all who enjoy folktales or medieval epic tales (although one does wonder why medieval heroes were so uniformly stupid!).