Horror Book Reviews
|
Title: The Arabian Nights II: Sindbad and Other Popular Stories (Arabian Nights No. II) |
|
Review of The Arabian Nights II: Sindbad and Other Popular Stories (Arabian Nights No. II)
- (Book Jacket Status: Jacketed)
Full of mischief and valor, ribaldry and romance, The Arabian Nights is a work that has enthralled readers for centuries.
The origins of The Arabian Nights are obscure. About a thousand years ago a vast number of stories in Arabic from various countries began to be brought together; only much later was the collection called The Arabian Nights or the Thousand and One Nights.
Product Description
[ Back to Homepage | Back to Horror Movie Reviews Index ]
HellHorror.com not responsible for reviews/comments and they may be removed at any time.
Submit Comment
Login / Join/Register for a free account
Comments for The Arabian Nights II: Sindbad and Other Popular Stories (Arabian Nights No. II)
- Posted on 2006-02-20
Classic Tales- Not To Be Skipped
If you read Husain Haddawy Arabian Nights then The Arabian Nights II is a must since it contains stories he omitted from his Arabian Nights Translation. While many may feel his translations are incomplete I still enjoy them. These and many other original Arabic stories give us a glimpse into a long forgotten time constantly diluted by their Disney counterparts. This book includes Sinbad the Sailor, Ali Baba, Ali Al Din ,et Al. I would not recommend this book as a nightly reader to children as some of the content proves extremely lewd however I found it hard to put down once started and would recommend The Arabian Nights II to anyone seeking a unique and adventurous story.
Score: 4
- Posted on 2005-12-19
It's good for research, not reading
How many stories can you have within a story? Can ancient stories be improved upon? In my opinion the answer is yes, and not only with the Arabian nights but with many European tales as well.
How many times is the imagination sparked by talk of geni's, curses, and the like, but the stories are not well constructed. Reading here requires devotion. I would say it is an excellent reference book, but for fascinating tales, no.
Score: 3
- Posted on 2005-05-16
Not the real thing
This is a very rum publication. Five years previous to its appearance Husain Haddawy produced as 'The Arabian Nights' a translation of the earliest extant version of the text (thirteenth- or fourteenth-century), which contains only a fraction of the full text known from nineteenth-century editions. In a polemical preface he denounced the full version as a dilution of a great original by the addition of masses of alien and inferior material. It must subsequently have been pointed out to him that a version of the Arabian Nights that omitted the best known stories would disappoint readers; consequently he then produced the present volume, made up largely of the popular tales 'Sindbad the Sailor', 'Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves', and 'Aladdin and his Lamp' -- even though, as he points out in the preface, the original Arabic texts of 'Ali Baba' and 'Aladdin', if they ever existed, have never been found and we are dependent on an eighteenth-century French 'translation' that is a fine piece of literature but far from authentic. A reader who wants to go beyond Haddawy's first volume would be well advised to go straight to one of the translations of the complete text, which contains much fine material omitted from both Haddawy's volumes. Of these the best known is Richard Burton's and the most readable (but least reliable) that of Powys Mathers.
Score: 2
- Posted on 2003-09-02
Enthralling
When I have started reading this collection of Arabic stories I was very pleasantly surprised by the excellent translation. The language flows smoothly and practically dances on the pages. The translation has engaged me and kept my attention, until I have finished the book alltogether. This rendition couldnt have possibly been improved.
As for the tales, this is not like Disney's Alladin or Sindbad. Do not be deceived into believing that the stories are effulgent with simple innocence. In parts, there is mild violence and subtle obscenties. However subtle, one might still consider them inappropriate for children. To make it simple, if this was a movie it would be rated pg-13. This aspect aside, the stories flow smoothly with enthralling tales of adventure, magic, and of course the cliche themes of love. Even though the tales of this book have been displayed on television, this rendition flavors them with fresh originality. The only regret is that one wont be guessing about the outcome of the adventures as the ending has been millions of times entrusted to the media and us...
Score: 5
- Posted on 2001-07-11
Lovely, magical translation
This translation of some of the most beloved tales of the Arabian nights is irresistable.
Score: 5
