This book is a really odd mix of A++ excellent translation, fascinating granular spiritual quest, and too much information. It could be that I've readThis book is a really odd mix of A++ excellent translation, fascinating granular spiritual quest, and too much information. It could be that I've read just a few too many nonfiction books lately where the author's personal life was used to emphasize the points that they were making, and in some cases that's an absolute benefit, but I think I would have preferred a somewhat more detached narrative view.
I know, I know, books sell better when there's a personal angle. But the balance didn't feel quite right in this instance for some reason.
However, as I said, O'Dell is an amazing translator...or at least she seems so. I don't read Persian or Arabic, so I don't have any resources other than having read other translations. She presents deep meaning and beautiful phrasing at the same time, which is a gift.
Last, I should say that I am not entirely thrilled with her 100% dismissal of the homo-romantic/erotic reading of Rumi. It is a valid parallel reading as long as one doesn't discount the religious devotional reading. Sufism is about a deeply intimate relationship with the Almighty...but we also know that Shams left in part because Rumi had become too attached to him, and certainly for that span of work, the personal reading of the love poems seems deeply relevant....more
4 1/2 stars. Extremely violent--far more than I expected based on the fairly curated selection of Nights tales I've read over the years.
Also very sex4 1/2 stars. Extremely violent--far more than I expected based on the fairly curated selection of Nights tales I've read over the years.
Also very sexually explicit, and generally the receiving parties are slaves or otherwise unfree to choose, which is weirdly LESS disturbing than the violence.
Both lesbian and gay sex and lots of bi protagonists. Occasional deprecation of homosexuality despite vast queer subtext. Lady doth protest too much, indeed. Creepy incest, actual and implied, and children getting married. Still less disturbing than all the casual mass murder.
Some brilliant poetry. I love that this translation keeps the verse and doesn't force rhyme....more
I want a collection where the translator refrains from forcing the English to rhyme. English can't rhyme like Arabic and attempts to shoehorn it alwayI want a collection where the translator refrains from forcing the English to rhyme. English can't rhyme like Arabic and attempts to shoehorn it always end up sounding stilted and clumsy.
But I liked seeing Abu Nuwas' 1001 Nights appearance and his graphic bisexual lust poems were refreshingly modern. Or seemed so. Gotta find a better translation....more
This is a good translation accompanied by some great editorial commentary...and also Robert Irwin being Robert Irwin. Unfortunately it's only a "best This is a good translation accompanied by some great editorial commentary...and also Robert Irwin being Robert Irwin. Unfortunately it's only a "best of" edition, but it does include a ton of information on the history of the Nights and on Hanna Diyab and the tales he related to Antoine Galland for his French reworking. The volume is lavishly illustrated with paintings, movie posters, photography, woodcuts, etc., and worth checking out for the art alone -- some of which appeared in editions of the Nights a couple of centuries ago while others are modern works.
At the end I was upset that it was over and went to borrow the Lyons translation, which is 3 volumes long. So far, it's an interesting comparison. Seale's translation foregrounds women in a satisfying way, which is why Burton's female erasure never really appealed to me. To be fair, I've never read all the stories, only bits and pieces over the years. I don't yet know enough to make comparisons, but I enjoyed Seale's translation and found Horta's introduction and notes to be a trove of relevant background.
And, you know, a reader wanting MORE at the end of a volume of selected works is probably a good sign. ...more
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