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ranooshe's review against another edition
3.0
1001 nights is an international legend. I've always heard about the story. This is the first time I have the chance to read the book itself. A totally different style than what I've read so far. An Intriguing experience. I got abit lost in the dragging of one story into another. I understand that it's part of the package, but I couldn't keep up with them. Maybe the version I have is an edited version, or may be it was too different for me to read. Any way I dropped it.
sense_of_history's review against another edition
See the review in my general account on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4952726603
marc129's review against another edition
3.0
"Fate is volatile, as you can see, sometimes there is joy, then sadness"
I really enjoyed reading this classic. For the sake of clarity: I have been selective, of course, because digesting all 3100 pages of the Dutch edition I read ([b:De vertellingen van duizend-en-één nacht: 3 Volumes in Slipcase|3253226|De vertellingen van duizend-en-één nacht 3 Volumes in Slipcase|Anonymous|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1209631917l/3253226._SX50_.jpg|82177390]) in such a short time (one month) would have been too much, but I think I have certainly gone through half of the stories.
What is particularly striking is the enormous diversity of this collection. To begin with, geographically: of course, the stories are largely situated in the Arab world, but in the time of the editing of the collection (roughly between the 8th and the 12th century) that world really did occupy a considerable space: the scene is constantly shifting from Baghdad to Damascus, to Cairo, to Andalusia, Persia, Turkey and central Asia; in some - more adventurous - stories there are hints in the direction of India, China, East-Asia and East Africa. The main characters are also very diverse: kings, caliphs, sultans and visors often play the leading role (especially the illustrious caliph Harun al-Rasjid), but also merchants (Sinbad the Sailor), fishermen and ordinary artisans and even slaves are regularly put in the spotlight. To a limited extent there also are fantastic characters: jinns (good spirit), ifrites (evil spirits), sorceresses and exotic magicians.
The diversity also manifests itself in the scope and approach of the stories: there are short, edifying stories of barely half a page, but also epic stories of 130 pages. There is always an element of suspense: a challenge, an adventure, a conflict or a threat; and what stands out is that when the need is highest, the character concerned usually manages to save him/herself by telling a good story. That means that you get a very complicated and quirky structure: stories within stories, within stories, and one mustn’t forget that all this - spread over 1001 nights - is told by Sheherazade, in the hope of reversing her death sentence and moving the king to whom she tells the stories into clemency. This very ingenious structure apparently goes back to an ancient, Indian storytelling tradition.
Love, of course, is one of the main themes: almost always someone (mostly men but also a few women) falls in love and both the lusts and the sorrows of that condition are highlighted. What struck me is how much poetry is put into the stories, sometimes refined and often rich and languorous, but sometimes also dull and once in a while very obscene.
You could write an entire book about the image of women in these Arabian stories, because - in contrast to the common image in the West, diversity is also striking here. In most stories women are presented as almost unrealistically beautiful beings, their (bodily) beauty is praised in the most diverse tonalities; only in a few stories also intelligent women appear, who impress by their knowledge and refined insight. Although there are also some independent women (acting as merchants for example), most female characters are subordinate to men, both princesses and slaves have to follow their orders. And in contrast to the hymns of praise to women, women are also often represented as false and cunning, and in some stories as real shrews. But finally, let us not forget that the narrator of all these stories, Sheherazade, is the intelligent woman par excellence: she knows how to affect the cruel king through her stories and ultimately to move him into more humanity. Unfortunately, in the Dutch translation I read (by Richard Van Leeuwen) that aspect is almost entirely omitted: the gradual evolution of the king, under the influence of the stories of Sheherazade, his self-reflection and ultimately repentance, remain completely out of the picture, and that is very regrettable.
There always had been a lot of fuss about the hedonistic and erotic nature of the 1001 stories, and that is understandable: in almost every story physical love is a recurring theme and sometimes is described very explicitly (there are even some homosexual and pedo-sexual scenes); wine flows abundantly and the extravagant banquets, refined smells and tastes constantly recur. In this sense too, this is a 'rich' collection, which gives a picture of the phenomenal civilization that the Arab world must have been between the 8th and 12th century.
But do not be mistaken: both the frame of reference and the morality of the stories are both implicit and explicitly Islamic. No page goes by or there is a reference to God/Allah who directs everything, who represents the ultimate justice and to whom the human destiny (also that of the powerful and the rich) is subordinated. In some stories Jews and Christians come into the picture, usually in negative terms (especially the 'Frankish knights', the crusaders, are represented as cruel and uncivilized), unless they convert to islam.
As mentioned, most of the stories are very entertaining and surprising because of their liveliness, creative intrigues, pointed dialogues and refined poetry. But honesty dictates that in the long run it all becomes a bit much: all those adventures, all those edifying stories, there is no end to it, and after a while, whilst reading, you can discern a sense of monotony and tediousness, despite the previously mentioned diversity. The wise advice is to take these stories to you one at a time and preferably every night before bedtime. Because if there’s one comforting lesson to be drawn from this classic collection it’s that even when times are bad, a good story can save the day (or even your life).
I really enjoyed reading this classic. For the sake of clarity: I have been selective, of course, because digesting all 3100 pages of the Dutch edition I read ([b:De vertellingen van duizend-en-één nacht: 3 Volumes in Slipcase|3253226|De vertellingen van duizend-en-één nacht 3 Volumes in Slipcase|Anonymous|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1209631917l/3253226._SX50_.jpg|82177390]) in such a short time (one month) would have been too much, but I think I have certainly gone through half of the stories.
What is particularly striking is the enormous diversity of this collection. To begin with, geographically: of course, the stories are largely situated in the Arab world, but in the time of the editing of the collection (roughly between the 8th and the 12th century) that world really did occupy a considerable space: the scene is constantly shifting from Baghdad to Damascus, to Cairo, to Andalusia, Persia, Turkey and central Asia; in some - more adventurous - stories there are hints in the direction of India, China, East-Asia and East Africa. The main characters are also very diverse: kings, caliphs, sultans and visors often play the leading role (especially the illustrious caliph Harun al-Rasjid), but also merchants (Sinbad the Sailor), fishermen and ordinary artisans and even slaves are regularly put in the spotlight. To a limited extent there also are fantastic characters: jinns (good spirit), ifrites (evil spirits), sorceresses and exotic magicians.
The diversity also manifests itself in the scope and approach of the stories: there are short, edifying stories of barely half a page, but also epic stories of 130 pages. There is always an element of suspense: a challenge, an adventure, a conflict or a threat; and what stands out is that when the need is highest, the character concerned usually manages to save him/herself by telling a good story. That means that you get a very complicated and quirky structure: stories within stories, within stories, and one mustn’t forget that all this - spread over 1001 nights - is told by Sheherazade, in the hope of reversing her death sentence and moving the king to whom she tells the stories into clemency. This very ingenious structure apparently goes back to an ancient, Indian storytelling tradition.
Love, of course, is one of the main themes: almost always someone (mostly men but also a few women) falls in love and both the lusts and the sorrows of that condition are highlighted. What struck me is how much poetry is put into the stories, sometimes refined and often rich and languorous, but sometimes also dull and once in a while very obscene.
You could write an entire book about the image of women in these Arabian stories, because - in contrast to the common image in the West, diversity is also striking here. In most stories women are presented as almost unrealistically beautiful beings, their (bodily) beauty is praised in the most diverse tonalities; only in a few stories also intelligent women appear, who impress by their knowledge and refined insight. Although there are also some independent women (acting as merchants for example), most female characters are subordinate to men, both princesses and slaves have to follow their orders. And in contrast to the hymns of praise to women, women are also often represented as false and cunning, and in some stories as real shrews. But finally, let us not forget that the narrator of all these stories, Sheherazade, is the intelligent woman par excellence: she knows how to affect the cruel king through her stories and ultimately to move him into more humanity. Unfortunately, in the Dutch translation I read (by Richard Van Leeuwen) that aspect is almost entirely omitted: the gradual evolution of the king, under the influence of the stories of Sheherazade, his self-reflection and ultimately repentance, remain completely out of the picture, and that is very regrettable.
There always had been a lot of fuss about the hedonistic and erotic nature of the 1001 stories, and that is understandable: in almost every story physical love is a recurring theme and sometimes is described very explicitly (there are even some homosexual and pedo-sexual scenes); wine flows abundantly and the extravagant banquets, refined smells and tastes constantly recur. In this sense too, this is a 'rich' collection, which gives a picture of the phenomenal civilization that the Arab world must have been between the 8th and 12th century.
But do not be mistaken: both the frame of reference and the morality of the stories are both implicit and explicitly Islamic. No page goes by or there is a reference to God/Allah who directs everything, who represents the ultimate justice and to whom the human destiny (also that of the powerful and the rich) is subordinated. In some stories Jews and Christians come into the picture, usually in negative terms (especially the 'Frankish knights', the crusaders, are represented as cruel and uncivilized), unless they convert to islam.
As mentioned, most of the stories are very entertaining and surprising because of their liveliness, creative intrigues, pointed dialogues and refined poetry. But honesty dictates that in the long run it all becomes a bit much: all those adventures, all those edifying stories, there is no end to it, and after a while, whilst reading, you can discern a sense of monotony and tediousness, despite the previously mentioned diversity. The wise advice is to take these stories to you one at a time and preferably every night before bedtime. Because if there’s one comforting lesson to be drawn from this classic collection it’s that even when times are bad, a good story can save the day (or even your life).
victoriamonroy's review against another edition
4.0
I absolutely loved reading the tales of this book! My favorite tale is 'The Fisherman and the Jinnee,' which I found to personally be the most entertaining. I'd recommend this to anyone not necessarily looking for genuine historical context but a look into how tales were written in the past. I learned a lot about the original tales of Aladdin and The Tale of the Hunchback.
sinningsammy's review against another edition
adventurous
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
cyndireadsbooks's review against another edition
2.0
I ended up reading the history of the 1001 Nights and after that, I felt like this was a big fake. It turned me off a little bit. Not only that, but the stories weren't as compelling as the versions I know in my head. Eh...