Eastern Dreams: How The Arabian Nights Came To The World

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Penguin Canada, Aug 24, 2010 - Literary Criticism - 256 pages
The 1001 Arabian Nights is perhaps the most famous story collection in the world. It has transcended cultures, languages, and historical eras to become familiar and beloved not only in the Eastern world, but also in the West, where it is the only acknowledged classic of Western literature to have originated from outside the West itself. Despite its prominent place in both Eastern and Western culture, the history of the Nights remains tantalizingly elusive and difficult to define.

In Eastern Dreams, author Paul Nurse discusses not only the history of this book, but also the many fascinating people, who become characters themselves, responsible for bringing the Nights to the West and the wider world, and how the Nights has influenced, and continues to influence, global culture.

From inside the book

Contents

Authors Note
A Spectral Work
A Frenchman Abroad
The Coming of the Nights
These Idle Deserts
The Nights and the Romantic Spirit
Searching for the Nights
The Victorian Rivals
The Arabian Nights Today
Infinite Delights
Notes
Suggestions for Further Study
Copyright

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About the author (2010)

Paul McMichael Nurse holds a Ph.D. in British, Indian, and African histories from the University of Toronto. He has written for publications such as The Globe and Mail, the National Post, Victorian Review, British Heritage, and The Baker Street Journal. Eastern Dreams is his first book.

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