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 Thursday 9.00-9.45am, repeated 9.30pm. |
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Programme details |
Thursday 18 October 2007 |
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Audience reactions to this edition |
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S. Shambayati, 1001 Nights
Thank you for a fascinating program. One point of confusion amongst your panel, however, concerning the apparent 'lack of popularity' of the book in its place of origin as well as the actual place of its origin can be explained by simple reflection on the social history of the middle east at the time. Clearly, a story with such a large component of sexual adventure would have been banned in what was at the time a deeply muslim society and therefore, popular as it may have been, the book and its popularity is very unlikely to have attracted mention in the official records. Also, whilst the names of all the main protagonists are undoubtedly Persian, the panel appeared somewhat bewildered that the only written records of the story are all in Arabic, ignoring the fact that the official language of Persians at the time (and for several centuries before and after) was Arabic. 1001 Nights with its genis, kings and queens and risque story line as well as its portrayal of the role of women in society has much to link it to pre-Arab Persian and Zoroastrian mythography and forms part of the underground cultural resistance of Persians to the Arab/muslim invasion.
Ian Francis 1001
First, congratulations on a newsletter which so expands my enjoyment of the programmeSecondly, how interesting to hear of the origins of this wonderful collection at the same time that we are learning of the origins of the Bible from Karen Armstrong
Owen P. 1001 nights
In one of the tales about a war between Muslims and Greeks it's reported that the Christians would collect the feces of the Patriarch(?) of Constantinople (head of the church in any case)and mix it with sweet smelling herbs and spices. This rare item was then applied to the brows of only the most distinguished and bravest Christian warriors before they went into battle.There was a high demand and a limited supply so some of the priests/monks started a counterfeiting operation selling off their own waste products as the genuine thing.I always wondered if there was any truth in this or if it was early Muslim propaganda?Can anybody help?
Rachel from New York, In Our Time
What a wonderful variety of fascinating subjects you have--a non-fictional Thousand and One Nights, as it were. Thanks so much!
Arabian Nights
I suddenly discovered this programme by chance and was so much delihted for such programmes in the radio. I am intrigued to note that the style of the stories i.e. tale inside a tale technique were from Indian stoies. I will be grateful if someone could give me the reference to such Indian stories.
Joey - Arabian Nights
I feel sure that Melvyn was on top an interesting point; if the opinion of the 1001 Nights in Islamic cultures was so low, why did it survive? Why wre the scrolls so well read that they fell apart? Was there a literate, populist movement of readers that have been forgotten because we only remember the pious or the scholarly?
Neil Foxlee 1001 Nights and Orientalism
As nearly always, a highly stimulating discussion. The reference at one point to the 1001 Nights being in one sense a European creation, however, pointed to the need for a programme on Edward Said's theory of "Orientalism" - which must surely be taken into account nowadays in any (Western) discussion relating to the history of ideas and the East. This is not to say that Said is above criticism, far from it, but rather that any current debate on such issues that ignored his ideas would thereby lay itself open to the charge of "Orientalism" and Eurocentrism.
Robert Allwood, 1001 Nights
I wondered about the signet ring, the sister and Sufism - what happened to the first two, and whether the so-called Arabian Nights may be connected to Sufi tales.(And why does 1001 clean a big big carpet for less than half a crown?)
Arabian nights
I am fascinated with the history of the region Arabia to India, and the programme suggested a link that I have had in mind for some time. I had doubt about my thoughts until it was mentioned in the programme about the date of the translation and that stories were added since the original version.In Indian history, the son of the Sultan of Delhi, bearing the name Ala-ud-din, took a large raiding army right through the Deccan and into what is now Tamil Nadu. He returned with many carts full of jewellery. Could this have been the start of the myth of Aladdin's cave?
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