History and Memory in the Abbasid Caliphate: Writing the Past in Medieval Arabic Literature

(Paperback)

Available Formats

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

Abu Bakr al-Suli was a noted polymath and table companion in the courts of three Abbasid caliphs. In addition to his work as observer of the court, he is perhaps best known for his poetry - which would have a long-lasting influence on Arabic literature - historiographical insight and skill as a chess player. Letizia Osti here provides the first full-length English-language study devoted to al-Suli. In so doing, she sheds light onto broader questions, such as: How did the Abbasid court make sense of the past What was the importance of written culture And book collecting What does historiography mean in a medieval Islamic context

Reviews

"History and Memory in the Abbasid Caliphate is an innovative contribution compelling the field to think differently about our historical sources. In rehabilitating al-Suli, Osti provides an important guide for how to approach other texts, presenting a rich and rewarding model for interpretation to which readers will want to return again and again." * John P. Turner, Colby College, USA *
"Do the formats of early Arabic prose allow us to identify a writers viewpoint What is the role of poetry in Arabic historiography In this detailed but succinct and accessible discussion of how we categorise and evaluate Arabic sources, Letizia Osti makes convincing use of concepts of autobiography and emplotment to explore al-Sulis textual strategies, and reappraises him radically as a historian of his own times." * Julia Bray, The Abdulaziz Saud AlBabtain Laudian Professor of Arabic, University of Oxford, UK *
In this careful study Letizia Osti takes seriously the praise and criticism that her subject, Abu Bakr al-uli (d. 335/947), has received through the ages, and comes down definitively in his defence. She argues convincingly that he was a thoughtful commentator on his life in the caliphal court and his time in history. Osti goes far beyond a life-and-times piece, however. She models how to work with the grain of the written material to craft something that is useful for scholars today Letizia Osti has written a book that is both useful and a pleasure to read. Senior scholars and graduate students alike will find much here to inform their own research and reflection. * Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies *

Author Bio

Letizia Osti is Associate Professor of Arabic Literature and Language at the University of Milan. She has been published in journals such as the Journal of Abbasid Studies, the Journal of Arabic and Islamic Studies and Middle Eastern Literatures is the co-author of Crisis and Continuity at the Abbasid Court (2013).