Kulturka

Tales From The Thousand And One Nights

The tales told be Shahrazad over a thousand and one nights to delay her execution by the vengeful King Shahriyar have become among t he most popular in both Eastern and Western literature. From the epic adventures of `Aladdin and the Enchanted Lamp` and `Sinbad the Sailor` to the farcical `Young Woman and her Five Lovers` and the social criticism of `The Tale of the Hunchback` the stories depic t a fabulous world of all-powerful sorcerors, jinns imprisoned in bottles and enchanting princesses. But despite their imaginative e xtravagance, the Tales from the Thousand and One Nights are also anchored to everyday life by their bawdiness and realism, providing a full and intimate record of the medieval Eastern world.