{"product_id":"the-adventures-of-amir-hamza-modern-library-9780679643548","title":"The Adventures of Amir Hamza (Modern Library)","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn the tradition of such beloved classics as The Thousand and One Nights and the Persian Shahnameh  here is the first unabridged English translation of a major Indo-Persian epic  The Adventures of Amir Hamza (Dastan-e Amir Hamza)a panoramic tale of magic and passion  and a classic heros odyssey that has captivated much of the world.  This Islamic saga dates back hundreds of years  perhaps to as early as the seventh century  when oral narratives of the deeds of the prophet Muhammads uncle Amir Hamza spread through Arabia  Persia  and the Indian subcontinent  expanding into a marvelous chronicle of warriors  kings  tricksters  fairies  courtesans  and magical creatures. The definitive one-volume Urdu text by Ghalib Lakhnavi and Abdullah Bilgrami appeared toward the end of the nineteenth century  but English translations of this text have always been censored and abridgeduntil now.  In Musharraf Ali Farooqis faithful rendition  The Adventures of Amir Hamza is captured with all its colorful action  ribaldry  and fantastic elements intact. Here is the spellbinding story of Amir Hamza  the adventurer who loves Mehr-Nigar  the daughter of the Persian emperor  Naushervan. Traveling to exotic lands in the service of his emperor  Amir Hamza defeats many enemies  loves many women  and converts hundreds of infidels to the True Faith of Islam before finding his way back to his first love. Guided by a Merlin-like clairvoyant called Buzurjmehr  protected by legendary prophets  and accompanied by his loyal friend  the ingenious trickster Amar Ayyar  Amir Hamza rides his devoted winged demon-steed  Ashqar  into combat against a marvelous array of opponents  from the deadly demon  Sufaid Dev  to his own rebellious sons.  Appreciated as the seminal Islamic epic or enjoyed as a sweeping tale as rich and inventive as Homers epic sagas  The Adventures of Amir Hamza is an extraordinary creation and a true literary treasure.  Praise for The Adventures of Amir Hamza: The Adventures of Amir Hamza is a wonder and a revelation  a classic of epic literature in an interpretation so fluent that it is a pleasure to sit down and lose oneself in it. The story line itself is endlessly diverting and inventive  and the prose of the translation is beautifully rendered....For the modern American reader  The Adventures of Amir Hamza....with its mixed Hindu and Muslim idiom  its tales of love and seduction  its anti-clericalism.its stories of powerful and resourceful women  and its mocking of male misogyny  is a reminder of an Islamic world the West seems to have forgotten: one that is imaginative and heterodox. The New York Times Book Review and the International Herald Tribune  William Dalrymple  This sensitive new translation by Musharraf Ali Farooqi is filled with lyrical resonance....a marvelous dovetailing of fantasy  history and religion. Lovers of The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night will immediately notice many stylistic similarities....Theres a familiar cast of supernatural characters  including angels  jinns  giants and dragons..And theres a capacious quality  a generosity of imagination that seems to invoke the layers and centuries of storytelling.Readers who prefer their heroes to be unequivocally heroic and who are ready to enjoy special effects on the page will love losing themselves in this complex yet ancient world of the imagination.  The Washington Post  Diana Abu-Jaber  I was also bowled over by a remarkable new translation of The Adventures of Amir Hamza (Random House Modern Library)  the Iliad and Odyssey of the medieval Persian world: a rollicking  magic-filled heroic saga  full of myth and imagination. It is the first time it has been translated into English and it is as close as is now possible to the world of the Mughal campfire - those night gatherings of soldiers  Sufis  musicians and camp followers one sees in Mughal miniatures - a storyteller beginning his tale in the clearing of a forest as the embers of the blaze glow red and eager  firelit faces crowd around.  New Statesman  a BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2007 selection  Its hard to think of an epic more dazzlingly splendid.Farooqi has given world literature a gift.Non-Urdu-speaking readers can at last appreciate an epic on par with anything in the Western canon. And  with luck  the classical pantheon populated by indomitable Achilles  cunning Odysseus and righteous King Arthur will now be joined by a new beloved hero: mercurial  mighty Amir Hamza  astride his winged demon steed  soaring to the heavens. Time International  Students of world literature and Eastern languages will absolutely swoon if they are fortunate enough to receive this new translation of The Adventures of Amir Hamza. With prose as embroidered as the tales themselves  the book should be savored under the covers like a secret lover before some filmmaker steals it away and dilutes it for mass consumption. Austin Chronicle  The Indo-Islamic Dastan-e Amir Hamza is a r\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45279724175413,"sku":"ByrdShop_0679643540","price":90.34,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780679643548.jpg?v=1780607677","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-adventures-of-amir-hamza-modern-library-9780679643548","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}