The Arabian Nights: Tales of 1,001 Nights: Volume 3

A few years ago I read an abridged version of the 1001 Nights, which was originally published by Penguin Classics in the 1950s. I liked it so much I decided to read the whole thing, which is now published by Penguin Classics in a more modern translation from 2005-8. Be warned, though. The unabridged version runs to three volumes, each of around 900 closely printed pages. Volume III covers nights 719 to 1001 and also gives us the tale of Sindbad and his magic lamp. This edition has a useful introduction describing the influence that the tales have had on a wide range or writers over the centuries, as well as a glossary and some maps of Baghdad and Cairo, two cities frequently mentioned in the text. If you think that Shahrazad tells 1001 separate tales, you’ve been led astray. What you get across all three volumes are a serious of tales within tales within tales. Some of the tales last for forty or fifty nights or even longer. There is a theme of good triumphing over evil. Good people live long, happy lives; bad people go to hell. But bad people cause a lot of suffering before making their trip downstairs, and it’s the good people who suffer. There is a useful index at the end covering all the tales and showing those tales that are tales within tales. Splitting the tales into “nights” is a handy device because it splits them into bite-size chunks. Some “nights” are shorter than others – barely a page in some cases, though I noticed in this volume that many “nights” last more like three pages – some even longer. The “nights” are also a reminder that Shahrazad’s life is on a knife edge. If she fails to entertain the tyrannical King Shahriyar on any night, she faces the chop. Fortunately, she is a narrator of genius and the demanding king and demanding reader are equally entertained. I noted in Volumes I and II that black characters are frequently associated with wickedness and ugliness. In this volume that is not so apparent but there are frequent references to black eunuchs and slaves, though there are also white slaves. I’ve also noted that male and female beauty are often described in similar terms. There is a strong homoerotic element in some stories. There is also a lot of wine drinking. And music. Both men and women compose poetry, though most of the singing of that poetry is done by women playing a lute. There is much delight in gold, silver, precious gems, palaces and political power. There are early signs of global capitalism with lots of trading going on resulting in big profits. There are women living independently, often with vast wealth, and making their own decisions about marriage. There are women who are highly intelligent and inventive. Preconceptions about Islam have to be parked rather rapidly, though it has to be said that Christians, Jews and Zoroastrians get a bad press. It’s an entertaining mishmash of marvellous tales on an epic scale and having finished all three volumes I feel is if I’ve read one of the truly great works of world literature. That’s an achievement and a very worthwhile and enjoyable one.

A great collection of tales

What an excellent collection of stories, from the one's that you _think_ you know to those that are completely new.

Love that the stories have been translated. Will be a while before I finish them though. I like to digest a story properly before moving on.

Read all three books as currently doing research for a potential film....

Nicely readable as kindle edition

Nice edition

great

Todo perfecto

For most people, the Arabian Nights are just a handful of stories - Sinbad, Aladdin and Ali Baba. Reading the entire 1001 Nights in the new Penguin translation is an eye opener. Only Sinbad is in the Nights proper (the other stories are "supplemental nights" and are included here as appendices). The other stories range from epic adventures (the tale and Sharrken and his family takes up nearly 100 nights or about a tenth of the volume) to Aesop like animal fables that are short enough that several are told in one night. Throughout it all there are tales of adventure, romance, and magic. I was surprise that in a number of these stories it is the men who faint and the women who take up the sword and go into battle. In some of the earlier tales, there are stories within stories, sometimes several layers deep that create nested doll effect and feel surprisingly modern. A lot of the stories follow the same formula - separated lovers or young men trying to prove their valor - but it is amazing how many different variations this compilation rings on these similar themes. The Penguin translation is crisp and clean - neither too modern nor too archaic. The poetry is retained throughout and it is hardly the greatest poetry, and the tales where someone proves their knowledge of Medieval science or religious law is probably more for specialists, but the vast majority of the nights are exciting stories that keep you wanting the read the next night to see what happens - which is exactly what the character of Scheherazade intended. It took me nearly three years to read this but I tried to read one night excerpt each day to get the feel of what Scheherazade experienced. Yes, work sometimes forced me to play catch up and yes, some days I did read ahead to find out what happened. But I stuck close to my plan and it was an amazing journey into a masterwork that we all think we know, but it turns out we know very little. For example - there are no flying carpets! However, the slapstick adventures of the Hunchback tales, the wonder of the Ebony Horse and the mysterious City of Brass await you.

I was amazed when I started reading these stories at how delightful they were. They're for adults - sexy, violent, political... if you like folklore, you'll really enjoy them. I have an earlier (1951) version translated from the French and this newer translation is for the most part better: the writing is crisper, cleaner and smoother. You'll want all three volumes, too.

Awesome book

Gave my combined review for the first volume.