The Thousand and One Nights
by Richard Francis Burton · first published 2004
18% recommend82% neutral
You may have read the story of Aladdin and the Magic Lamp, or heard about the exploits of Sinbad the Sailor, but do you know about the Merchant and the Genie or the story of Beder, the Prince of Persia? All of these tales make up the intricate, exotic and fascinating story that is 1001 Nights. It all starts with the beautiful and intelligent Scheherazade, daughter of the Grand Vizier, who must try to save her own life by keeping her king amused and entertained. She weaves an intricate set of stories-within-stories, told over 1001 nights, full of passion, intrigue, magic and mystery. This is th
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The first story in Exhalation is written in the style of the Arabian Nights (Thousand and One Nights). Get the unabridged, original translation by Richard Burton - it is some of the most beautiful literature ever written - comes in 16 volumes so there will be no shortage of reading material!
on “Project Starline: Feel like you're there, together” ↗…disguise), when the penalty for non-mulsims entering the holy cities was death. He did the same in other dangerous places as well, taking similar risks. Burton also wrote a famous translation of the Thousand and One Nights (aka Arabian Nights)[2], translated the Kama Sutra and other works. [1] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Francis_Burton [2] - Burton's is by far my favorite translation of the Thousand and One…
on “Richard Hakluyt and Early English Travel” ↗…to narrate it. The rest of the episode is spent explaining traditions, festivities, etc. A good podcast if you're interested in overall Persian culture and history. Of course another good book is "One Thousand and One Nights". [1] https://open.spotify.com/show/4wOrW7rq5g4HZpSbi3nvwl?si=Ft_t...
on “Persian legends and their Western counterparts (2020)” ↗…the feat with various other forbidden cities around the world, though not without injury. He produced, to my mind, by far the most entertaining (though apparently far from accurate) translation of the Thousand and One Nights, and the erotic classic, the Kama Sutra, along with various other works. "Throughout his life, Burton continually sought passionately for "Gnosis," which he pursued around the world in myriad forms.…
on “Emil Du Bois-Reymond: Greatest Unknown Intellectual of the 19th Century?” ↗…= $1.02 billion - Snow White (1937) from the Brothers Grimm folk tale (1857) - Revenue = $416 million (10th highest grossing film as adjusted for inflation) - Aladdin (1992) from a folk tale in One Thousand and One Nights (1706) - Revenue = $504 million Then you have their lobbying: "In 1998, Copyright was up for it’s last copyright term extension, from life +50 years to life +70 years. Disney’s Mickey Mouse copyright…
on “Netflix said to be in Disney’s crosshairs” ↗…educated set of 19th century. I find it very strange. In the OP, we have a female Persian name (Shahrzad, the story teller) and a male Persian name (Shahryar, the king). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Thousand_and_One_Nights#Pe... "The earliest mentions of the Nights refer to it as an Arabic translation from a Persian book, Hezār Afsān (aka Afsaneh or Afsana), meaning 'The Thousand Stories'." Hezar means 1000. Afsan means…
on “Arabian Nights” ↗A "meta-story" is not a third type of story that you do. A "meta-story" or "meta-narrative" is a story told about a story. Remember One Thousand and One Nights?
on “Red Bull and Business Strategy” ↗The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Thousand and One Nights, Vol. I., by Anonymous https://www.gutenberg.org/files/34206/34206-h/34206-h.htm
on “Arabian Nights” ↗…India and Persia and entered Europe by way of Muslim Spain in the middle ages, through collections like Kalīla wa-Dimna. For example the taming of the shrew (I think) first appears in written form in The Thousand and One Nights.
on “Two Books Plumb the Hidden Depths of the Fairy Tale” ↗This reminded me of the story of One Thousand and One Nights (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Thousand_and_One_Nights#Syn...), where the new bride starts (but doesn't end) a story every night... ensuring the king doesn't execute her in the morning. I think it's…
on “Code yourself a cliffhanger” ↗It's a nice, romantic take on a narrative called "The Tale of Two Dreamers" which influenced many others writers (such as Borges) and can be traced back to "The Thousand and One Nights": https://books.google.com/books?id=Y0i8aZ94CJUC&lpg=PA514&ots...
on “Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?” ↗…whose face an African scar told its tale — Captain Richard Francis Burton, the English consul — embarked on a famous translation of the Quitab aliflaila ua laila, which the roumis know by the title, The Thousand and One Nights. One of the secret aims of his work was the annihilation of another gentleman (also weatherbeaten, and with a dark Moorish beard) who was compiling a vast dictionary in England and who died long before…
on “Arabian Nights” ↗The name is from One Thousand and One Nights, aka Arabian Nights. Specifically, the main character Scheherazade's sister. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Thousand_and_One_Nights
on “The Dunyazad Digital Library” ↗Ya. The story collection [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Thousand_and_One_Nights] dates back at least to the 10th century and the 'Islamic Golden Age'... and many probably go back 1000 years before that (said to have entertained kings) ... unknown in the West until translated by Richard…
on “Two Books Plumb the Hidden Depths of the Fairy Tale” ↗…follow-up, and he happens to fall in late 19th century, but still, modern. How about Daniel Defoe, Ann Radcliffe, Murasaki Shikibu, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, Thomas Malory, or Attar of Nishapur? Also, One Thousand and One Nights, various anonymous authors.
on “Ask HN: I don't read fiction, how much am I missing out on?” ↗