The Epistle of Forgiveness : : Volume One: A Vision of Heaven and Hell / / Abū l-ʿAlāʾ al-Maʿarrī; ed. by Gregor Schoeler, Geert Jan van Gelder.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter New York University Press Backlist eBook-Package 2000-2013
• VerfasserIn: al-Maʿarrī, Abū l-ʿAlāʾ,
• HerausgeberIn: Gelder, Geert Jan van,; Schoeler, Gregor,
• Place / Publishing House: New York, NY : : New York University Press, , [2013]; ©2013
• Year of Publication: 2013
• Language: English
• Series: Library of Arabic Literature ; 32
• Physical Description: 1 online resource

One of the most unusual books in classical Arabic literature, The Epistle of Forgiveness is the lengthy reply by the prolific Syrian poet and prose writer Abu l-?Ala? al-Ma?arri (d. 449 H/1057 AD), to a letter written by an obscure grammarian, Ibn al-Qarih. With biting irony, The Epistle of Forgiveness mocks Ibn al-Qarih'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. He 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. This book, the first of two volumes, includes Ibn al-Qarih’s initial letter to al-Ma?arri, as well as the first half of The Epistle of Forgiveness.This translation is the first complete translation in any language and retains the many digressions, difficult passages, and convoluted grammatical discussions of the original typically omitted in other translations. It is accompanied by a comprehensive introduction and detailed annotation. 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.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Letter from the General Editor -- Table of Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Abbreviations used in the Introduction and Translation -- Introduction -- A Note on the Text -- A Note on the Edition -- Notes to the Introduction -- The Epistle of Ibn al-Qāriḥ -- The Epistle of Forgiveness. -- Preamble -- Paradise (I) -- The Sheikh’s Story of his Resurrection, the Day of Judgement, and his Entry into Paradise -- Paradise (II) -- Between Paradise and Hell -- Hell -- Return to Paradise -- Notes -- Glossary of Names and Terms -- Bibliography -- Further Reading -- Index -- About the NYU Abu Dhabi Institute -- About the Typefaces -- About the Editor-Translators