{"product_id":"the-epistle-of-forgiveness-volume-one-a-vision-of-heaven-and-hell-hardcover","title":"The Epistle of Forgiveness: Volume One: A Vision of Heaven and Hell - Hardcover","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eAbū L-ʿa Al-Maʿarrī\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eGeert Jan Van Gelder\u003c\/b\u003e (Editor), \u003cb\u003eGeert Jan Van Gelder\u003c\/b\u003e (Translator)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOne of the most unusual books in classical Arabic literature, \u003ci\u003eThe Epistle of Forgiveness\u003c\/i\u003e is the lengthy reply by the prolific Syrian poet and prose writer Abu l-'Ala' al-Ma'arri (d. 449\/1057), to a letter written by an obscure grammarian, Ibn al-Qarih. With biting irony, \u003ci\u003eThe Epistle of Forgiveness\u003c\/i\u003e mocks Ibn al-Qarih's hypocrisy and sycophancy by imagining he has died and arrived with some difficulty in Heaven, where he meets famous poets and philologists from the past. He also glimpses Hell, and converses with the Devil and various heretics. Al-Ma'arri--a maverick, a vegan, and often branded a heretic himself--seems to mock popular ideas about the Hereafter. This book, the first of two volumes, includes Ibn al-Qarih's initial letter to al-Ma'arri, as well as the first half of \u003ci\u003eThe Epistle of Forgiveness.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis translation is the first complete translation in any language and retains the many digressions, difficult passages, and convoluted grammatical discussions of the original typically omitted in other translations. It is accompanied by a comprehensive introduction and detailed annotation. Replete with erudite commentary, amusing anecdotes, and sardonic wit, \u003ci\u003eThe Epistle of Forgiveness\u003c\/i\u003e is an imaginative tour-de-force by one of the most pre-eminent figures in classical Arabic literature. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA bilingual Arabic-English edition.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbū l-ʿAlāʾ al-Maʿarrī (Author) \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eAbū l-ʿAlāʾ al-Maʿarrī\u003c\/b\u003e (363-449\/973-1058) was a major poet and prose writer of the late Abbasid period. Born near Aleppo, Syria, he lost his eyesight in childhood and was renowned for his asceticism. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eGeert Jan van Gelder (Edited and Translated by) \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eGeert Jan van Gelder\u003c\/b\u003e was Laudian Professor of Arabic at the University of Oxford from 1998 to 2012. He is the author of several books on classical Arabic literature, including Beyond the Line: Classical Arabic Literary Critics on the Coherence and Unity of the Poem and Of Dishes and Discourse: Classical Arabic Literary Representations of Food. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eGregor Schoeler (Edited and Translated by) \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eGregor Schoeler\u003c\/b\u003e was the chair of Islamic Studies at the University of Basel from 1982 to 2009. His books in the fields of Islamic Studies and classical Arabic literature include The Oral and the Written in Early Islam, and Paradies und Holle, a partial German translation of The Epistle of Forgiveness. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 464\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.5 x 9.1 x 6.2 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e August 23, 2013\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42130505040007,"sku":"9780814763780","price":92.34,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0601\/2623\/2711\/files\/fa4d22cb2f21f6f0c00a30096cf70bc7.webp?v=1732611373","url":"https:\/\/booksby.splitshops.com\/products\/the-epistle-of-forgiveness-volume-one-a-vision-of-heaven-and-hell-hardcover","provider":"Books by splitShops","version":"1.0","type":"link"}