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The Arabian Nights, a classic collection of Arabian, Persian, and Indian folk tales has been a profound influence on both the Western and Eastern literary traditions. (The award-winning French novelist Mathias Enard described it as the “classic of classics” in his Five Books interview about the best books on Orientalism.) Upon discovering his wife’s infidelity, Sultan Shahryar has developed a burning hatred for women and in this frenzied rage he vowed to marry a virgin each night and kill her by morning. In order to survive, Shahryar’s latest bride Shahrazad has concocted a cunning plan. Each night she tells the Sultan a tale, leaving him in such intense suspense that come morning he cannot kill her. This forms the frame story, within which many other, shorter, tales are held. There are many variations, translations, and new editions; this 2013 retelling by Hanan al-Shaykh offers invigorating blend of romance, wit, and violence, and is suitable for the general reader.
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