The Book of Strangers: Mediaeval Arabic Graffiti on the Theme of Nostalgia

by Patricia Crone (Translator), Shmuel Moreh (Translator)

A tenth-century Iraqi longing for the happy days of the past took to collecting verse graffiti left behind by travelers and others who did not feel at home where they were in order to console himself. Some of the graffiti he had come across himself; others he had only heard about or read in books, and many of them clearly belong in the realm of fiction. But all voiced sentiments similar to his own. The result of his pastime was a little book, at once sad and irreverent, that conjures up his nostalgic mood in a manner not attempted before or since in Arabic literature, rich in nostalgic poetry though it is. The Book of Strangers offers a translation of this work and a discussion of both its authorship, traditionally credited to the famous anthologist Abu 'l Faraj al-Isfahani, and its cultural context. The book is intended for specialists and lay readers alike. The translation is accompanied by a commentary identifying people, places, and other matters; and though the discussion of the author and his cultural context is necessarily more technical, specialist knowledge is not taken for granted.

204 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1999

About the author

Patricia Crone was Professor Emerita in the School of Historical Studies, where she served as the Andrew W. Mellon Professor from 1997 until her retirement in 2014. Crone’s insightful work, compellingly conveyed in her adventurous and unconventional style, shed important new light on the critical importance of the Near East—in particular on the cultural, religious and intellectual history of Islam—in historical studies. Her influence is strongly felt at the Institute, where, along with Oleg Grabar (1929–2011), Crone helped to establish the Institute as a recognized center for the pursuit of the study of Islamic culture and history.


https://www.ias.edu/scholars/patricia...