buang83's review
2.0
Kokkonen's book about Tufayl is an analysis of his philosophy. Mainly, it is an study of his main work: Hayy ibn Yaqdhan.
On the positive, the first two chapters are a good introduction to Muslim Spain. Some of the background of the Almohad revolution is mentioned & the state of affairs during Umayyad rule. This is important setup for the any historical character as it help understanding the period.
The biggest drawback about this book is the lack of quotations. There are none. Instead, this comes off as a mere introduction & commentary of his work. It talks about Aristotelian Philosophy & its effects on Arab philosophers, but there are no direct quotes. This makes reading this book a bit of a bore.
If you are looking to study this poet, I would only use this as a commentary. Otherwise, it is not worth the read.
On the positive, the first two chapters are a good introduction to Muslim Spain. Some of the background of the Almohad revolution is mentioned & the state of affairs during Umayyad rule. This is important setup for the any historical character as it help understanding the period.
The biggest drawback about this book is the lack of quotations. There are none. Instead, this comes off as a mere introduction & commentary of his work. It talks about Aristotelian Philosophy & its effects on Arab philosophers, but there are no direct quotes. This makes reading this book a bit of a bore.
If you are looking to study this poet, I would only use this as a commentary. Otherwise, it is not worth the read.
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