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The Tale of Princess Fatima, Warrior Woman: The Arabic Epic of Dhat Al-Himma by Melanie Magidow
atticmoth's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
5.0
Knowing nothing about this book, I picked it up solely for the cover. I had been stagnating on reading, nothing really grabbed me, until I started reading Princess Fatima, and realized that what I had been missing was reading weird old forgotten primary texts. Exhilarating in its own right, The Tale of Princess Fatima, Warrior Woman takes on a new dimension knowing it was written in the 9th century. Even moreso than the life of Saint Joan, if I had an unlimited budget I would definitely want to adapt Dhat Al-Himma.
I was describing it to my friend as “If Hayao Miyazaki made Dune,” and I still think this is the best description because of the epic’s protofeminism. This is not to say it’s empowering in the traditional sense; the setting is still that of a very patriarchal culture, which is reflected in the story. It’s very real in describing this setting, containing some pretty upsetting episodes, but within the context of a medieval Muslim epic about a princess knight, it makes sense.
Melanie Madigow’s translation is loose, and she admits it in the introduction, so I am willing to forgive the liberties she took with the text. It’s an abridgment, as the original epic is more than ten times longer, but unfortunately the complete text has never been translated in to English. Madigow’s translation is actually the most complete English version to date, and despite the liberties it is an exhilarating and wild read. I just hope someone translates the complete epic soon!
I was describing it to my friend as “If Hayao Miyazaki made Dune,” and I still think this is the best description because of the epic’s protofeminism. This is not to say it’s empowering in the traditional sense; the setting is still that of a very patriarchal culture, which is reflected in the story. It’s very real in describing this setting, containing some pretty upsetting episodes, but within the context of a medieval Muslim epic about a princess knight, it makes sense.
Melanie Madigow’s translation is loose, and she admits it in the introduction, so I am willing to forgive the liberties she took with the text. It’s an abridgment, as the original epic is more than ten times longer, but unfortunately the complete text has never been translated in to English. Madigow’s translation is actually the most complete English version to date, and despite the liberties it is an exhilarating and wild read. I just hope someone translates the complete epic soon!
spacestationtrustfund's review against another edition
3.0
If you ever bring up this subject again, then I will go live in the desert.Me too, girlfriend.
Well, I liked how accessible the translation was, but I was disappointed that Dr. Melanie Magidow did not translate the entire story of Dhat al-Himma. I can understand why she didn't, because the sira is... quite long, somewhere upwards of 6000 pages in full ("This abridgment consists of nearly a dozen carefully selected episodes out of a total of some 455 episodes in the unabridged version, which in Arabic spans seven volumes and more than six thousand pages"). The original story, commonly known as Sirat Dhat al-Himma (سيرة ذات الهمة) in the Arab world, takes place sometime between the late 7th-9th century (with, as Magidow herself notes, "allusions to events that would happen in the 10th century, during the Arab-Byzantine wars"), and was probably composed sometime in the 12th century.
In her introduction Dr. Magidow acknowledges a handful of words that she chose to translate in unorthodox ways. For example the word sira (سيرة) is here translated as "epic":
In Arabic, the epic is titled Sirat al-amira Dhat al-Himma, meaning Epic of the Commander Dhat al-Himma.but the word can also refer to any story or chronicle. (Personally I prefer "story," which I think helps to convey the genre's origin in oral tradition, but that's just me.) The word amira (أميرة), while technically the feminine form of the word amir (أمير), which can indeed mean commander, is more typically translated as "princess" or "lady"; Dr. Magidow is not incorrect in translating the word as "commander," technically speaking, which she does acknowledge:
The term amira can be translated as "Princess," "Warrior Woman," or "Commander," among other possibilities. It is a noun of feminine gender and signifies a title of respect and a position of authority.In regards to the rum (روم):
For the Byzantines, the translator has opted to retain the Arabic term, the Rum, to convey the fundamental sense in which these are simply people (whether soldiers or civilians) from the other side of the border.The Arabic word is from the Ancient Greek Ῥωμαῖος (Romans), an endonym of the Byzantines themselves. Dr. Magidow footnotes, "The term denotes the Romans, referring to the Greek Orthodox Christians of the Byzantine Empire." I don't personally feel as though this is sufficient explanation, but I suppose this is an introductory work and not an academic text. It's fine. I'm fine.
Another section of Dr. Magidow's introduction that I didn't particularly appreciate was her comparison of Dhat al-Himma's story to other folkloric tales... such as superhero comic books?
This sira resembles many other heroic tales in world literature. Like in Marvel comics, many of its characters display superhuman abilities that they use to save and to destroy. Like the Chinese heroine Mulan, Princess Fatima proves herself a warrior as a young woman, in a culture in which men dominate the martial arts. Of all the Arabic epics that have come down to us, this one most closely resembles the British tale of Arthur, particularly in the constellation of male and female heroes that surround Princess Fatima, similar to Arthur’s round table of knights (although his knights were all men). We also find similarities to the Robin Hood legend, in that it includes several famous characters: Robin Hood, Little John, King Richard the Lionheart, and Maid Marian for example.I suppose these comparisons would be viable, if you ignored practically all cultural context.
Then there's the issue of, well, translation as a broader concept rather than a specific detail-oriented disagreement. I'll explain. Dr. Magidow correctly notes that hers is "the most extensive rendition of the epic into English to date" while also being "an abridgment and also not a literal translation," intentionally so. This is fine, although I'd love to see a complete translation someday. Dr. Magidow further notes that she chose to "downplay some of the religious phraseology, by removing a few culturally specific references that distract from the plot and characters. My rationale for this choice is simple: this is not a religious or dogmatic text, and I have thus tailored it to a broad audience reading in English in a contemporary, pluralistic context." I found this statement interesting, as Dr. Magidow had only just said that her translation was "not 'neutral,' if indeed any translation could be" (it can't)... surely that applies to an original text as well? Certainly Dr. Magidow's edits are nowhere near as bad as the Rumi situation, but it makes me a bit testy.
I did not add my own stories to the text, but I delivered it in my style, sensitive to the patriarchal and dominant strains in the omniscient narrator that would lose contemporary readers.This is, of course, a difference of opinion; personally when I'm reading a work in translation I would like to read something as close to the original as possible. By removing the "patriarchal and dominant strains" of the original text, modern readers unable to read the original will likely come away with the opinion that the original text was not marked by such "strains." By omitting all mentions of Islam in Rumi's poetry, the anglophone reader is left with comfortingly neutral language instead of explicitly Islamic writing. No matter what other translators might think, this is not a net positive for Muslims.
(Also Dr. Magidow removed "gratuitous descriptions of violence," which I found rather ridiculous, given the context of the story, as marked by brutality and violent acts as it is. But it's her translation, not mine.)
"I see the translator's job as one of interpretation of the author's art," Dr. Magidow states, "re-creating or representing the source text to make it intelligible in the same way that it would be to the original audience." Cool.
bethlynch's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Rape, and Violence
kazuchuu's review against another edition
3.5
“She rose with so much rage in her heart that even mountains would crumble from its force.”
I was really excited to discover this translation. Old Arabic texts are tricky for me to read, so coming across an accessible version of one had me picking this book up in an instant. Although, I was a little disappointed to learn that only a selection of the original sira was translated, I can understand why, considering its massive length. I wish we’d gotten some sort of clarification as to why these particular parts were chosen for translation, though? What met the criteria to be translated, and what didn’t? This is not clear.
Overall, I still enjoyed reading this. Princess Fatima is an incredibly strong leader and fighter, unwavering in front of all the hardships she faces. Even in fear, she stands tall and sure of herself. She is betrayed and doubted even by those closest to her, but not once does she yield. I wish she were a hero more people knew about.
However, I have some reservations about this translation. For one, I don’t agree with how Magidow compares Fatima to Marvel comic characters, which is definitely a strange thing to read in a sira translation, but maybe that’s just my own opinion. There is also the matter of translating amira / أميرة as “commander”—more accurately, it means “princess”, similar to the masculine version, amir / أمير , which means “prince”. Not to mention, there seems to be some inconsistency with the tone of the translation, sometimes switching from a formal one to an informal one for no apparent reason. It took me out of the moment instantly.
Moreover, I really wish the Arabic writing of names was kept somewhere in the text. It was difficult to tell how I’m supposed to pronounce names like Sahsah and Bani Tayy, like, why am I being forced to read Arabic names and words in English letters? I can read Arabic, give me the Arabic versions too! Make my life easier!
But perhaps my most pressing issue is with the footnotes—there was definitely room to make them more expansive in order to explain the historical and cultural context of the time. There are some religious stories recounted that I wish had been further explained. And some instances I felt needed an explanation, or some expansion, but unfortunately, there isn’t one.
Also, why water down descriptions of violence in a sira that’s all about clan conflicts and wars and kingdom expansions? Seems a little strange to me.
Circling back to my main point, all in all, I really did enjoy reading this story, but the problem (besides what I’ve already said) is that I don’t have another translation to compare it to, so I’m really making do with what I have. I hope, in the future, there can be more adaptations/translations of this story, and who knows—maybe a translation of the full sira?
3.5/5
I was really excited to discover this translation. Old Arabic texts are tricky for me to read, so coming across an accessible version of one had me picking this book up in an instant. Although, I was a little disappointed to learn that only a selection of the original sira was translated, I can understand why, considering its massive length. I wish we’d gotten some sort of clarification as to why these particular parts were chosen for translation, though? What met the criteria to be translated, and what didn’t? This is not clear.
Overall, I still enjoyed reading this. Princess Fatima is an incredibly strong leader and fighter, unwavering in front of all the hardships she faces. Even in fear, she stands tall and sure of herself. She is betrayed and doubted even by those closest to her, but not once does she yield. I wish she were a hero more people knew about.
However, I have some reservations about this translation. For one, I don’t agree with how Magidow compares Fatima to Marvel comic characters, which is definitely a strange thing to read in a sira translation, but maybe that’s just my own opinion. There is also the matter of translating amira / أميرة as “commander”—more accurately, it means “princess”, similar to the masculine version, amir / أمير , which means “prince”. Not to mention, there seems to be some inconsistency with the tone of the translation, sometimes switching from a formal one to an informal one for no apparent reason. It took me out of the moment instantly.
Moreover, I really wish the Arabic writing of names was kept somewhere in the text. It was difficult to tell how I’m supposed to pronounce names like Sahsah and Bani Tayy, like, why am I being forced to read Arabic names and words in English letters? I can read Arabic, give me the Arabic versions too! Make my life easier!
But perhaps my most pressing issue is with the footnotes—there was definitely room to make them more expansive in order to explain the historical and cultural context of the time. There are some religious stories recounted that I wish had been further explained. And some instances I felt needed an explanation, or some expansion, but unfortunately, there isn’t one.
Also, why water down descriptions of violence in a sira that’s all about clan conflicts and wars and kingdom expansions? Seems a little strange to me.
Circling back to my main point, all in all, I really did enjoy reading this story, but the problem (besides what I’ve already said) is that I don’t have another translation to compare it to, so I’m really making do with what I have. I hope, in the future, there can be more adaptations/translations of this story, and who knows—maybe a translation of the full sira?
3.5/5
leemsreads's review against another edition
4.0
i liked how accessible this was and refreshing to read smth from this angle as research for my disso rlly has been traumatising me - so interesting to notice parallels tho
asburris325's review against another edition
An interesting tale, and one that shows many capable female warriors, but I like more character development over plot, which is not that common in older tales.
svblvna's review
adventurous
fast-paced
2.5
this very much feels like it was written by a white person with an arabic studies degree.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Rape, and Violence