The Epistle of Forgiveness: Volumes One and Two

Abū l-ʿAlāʾ al-Maʿarrī

Published by New York University Press 2016

The Epistle of Forgiveness

Volumes One and Two

Abū l-ʿAlāʾ al-Maʿarrī
Translated by: Gregor Schoeler and Geert Jan van Gelder
Preface by: Matthew Reynolds

Volume 29 in the series Library of Arabic Literature

https://doi.org/10.18574/nyu/9781479865512.001.0001

Overview
Contents

About this book

Known as “one of the most complex and unusual texts in Arabic literature” (Banipal Magazine), The Epistle of Forgiveness is the lengthy reply by the prolific Syrian poet and prose writer, Abu l-'Ala' al-Ma'arri (d. 449/1057), to a letter by an obscure grammarian, Ibn al-Qari. With biting irony, The Epistle of Forgiveness mocks Ibn al-Qari’s hypocrisy and sycophancy by imagining he has died and arrived with some difficulty in Heaven, where he meets famous poets and philologists from the past. In al-Ma'arri’s imaginative telling, Ibn al-Qari also glimpses Hell and converses with the Devil and various heretics.

Al-Ma'arri—a maverick, a vegan, and often branded a heretic himself—seems to mock popular ideas about the Hereafter. Among other things, he introduces us to hypocrites, poets, princes, rebels, mystics, and apostates, with asides on piety, superstition, wine-drinking, old age, and other topics. This remarkable book is the first complete translation of this masterpiece into any language, all the more impressive because of Al-Ma'arri's highly ornate and difficult style, his use of rhymed prose, and his numerous obscure words and expressions. Replete with erudite commentary, amusing anecdotes, and sardonic wit, The Epistle of Forgiveness is an imaginative tour-de-force by one of the most pre-eminent figures in classical Arabic literature.

An English-only edition.

Author / Editor information

al-Maʿarrī Abū l-ʿAlāʾ :

Abū l-ʿAlāʾ al-Maʿarrī (363-449/973-1058) was a major poet and prose writer of the late Abbasid period. Born near Aleppo, Syria, he lost his eyesight in childhood and was renowned for his asceticism.Schoeler Gregor :

Gregor Schoeler was the chair of Islamic Studies at the University of Basel from 1982 to 2009. His books in the fields of Islamic Studies and classical Arabic literature include The Oral and the Written in Early Islam, and Paradies und Holle, a partial German translation of The Epistle of Forgiveness.Gelder Geert Jan van :

Geert Jan van Gelder was Laudian Professor of Arabic at the University of Oxford from 1998 to 2012. He is the author of several books on classical Arabic literature, including Beyond the Line: Classical Arabic Literary Critics on the Coherence and Unity of the Poem and Of Dishes and Discourse: Classical Arabic Literary Representations of Food.Reynolds Matthew :

Matthew Reynolds is Professor of English and Comparative Criticism at Oxford University.Abū l-ʿAlāʾ al-Maʿarrī (Author)
Abū l-ʿAlāʾ al-Maʿarrī (363-449/973-1058) was a major poet and prose writer of the late Abbasid period. Born near Aleppo, Syria, he lost his eyesight in childhood and was renowned for his asceticism.

Matthew Reynolds (Foreword by)
Matthew Reynolds is Professor of English and Comparative Criticism at Oxford University.

Gregor Schoeler (Translator)
Gregor Schoeler was the chair of Islamic Studies at the University of Basel from 1982 to 2009. His books in the fields of Islamic Studies and classical Arabic literature include The Oral and the Written in Early Islam, and Paradies und Holle, a partial German translation of The Epistle of Forgiveness.

Geert Jan van Gelder (Translator)
Geert Jan van Gelder was Laudian Professor of Arabic at the University of Oxford from 1998 to 2012. He is the author of several books on classical Arabic literature, including Beyond the Line: Classical Arabic Literary Critics on the Coherence and Unity of the Poem and Of Dishes and Discourse: Classical Arabic Literary Representations of Food.

Reviews

Van Gelder and Schoeler present one of the most complex and unusual texts in Arabic literature, by al-Ma'arri (d. 1057 AD), maverick, poet and vegetarian

Apart from its fine quality, an enormous advantage of this new edition and translation lies in its completeness.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Letter from the General Editor Publicly Available Download PDF	iii
About this Paperback Publicly Available Download PDF	iv
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	ix
Foreword Publicly Available Download PDF	xv
Abbreviations used in the Introduction and Translation Publicly Available Download PDF	xxi
Acknowledgments Publicly Available Download PDF	xxii
Introduction Publicly Available Download PDF	xxiii
A Note on the Text Publicly Available Download PDF	xliii
Notes to the Introduction Publicly Available Download PDF	l
The Epistle of Ibn al-Qāriḥ Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
Notes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	298
Glossary of Names and Terms Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	425
Bibliography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	463
Further Reading Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	484
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	490
About the NYU Abu Dhabi Institute Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	527
About the Translators Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	528
The Library of Arabic Literature Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	529

Language: English
Publisher: New York University Press
Audience: Professional and scholarly;

eBook

Published: March 15, 2016
ISBN: 9781479865512