Love, Death, Fame

Poetry and Lore from the Emirati Oral Tradition

By al-Māyidī ibn Ẓāhir | Publisher: NYU Press

About the book

Poems and tales of a literary forefather of the United Arab Emirates

Love, Death, Fame features the poetry of al-Māyidī ibn Ẓāhir, who has been embraced as the earliest poet in what would later become the United Arab Emirates. Although little is known about his life, he is the subject of a sizeable body of folk legend and is thought to have lived in the seventeenth century, in the area now called the Emirates. The tales included in Love, Death, Fame portray him as a witty, resourceful, scruffy poet, at times combative and at times kindhearted.

His poetry primarily features verses of wisdom and romance, with scenes of clouds and rain, desert migrations, seafaring, and pearl diving. Like Arabian Romantic and Arabian Satire, this collection is a prime example of Nabaṭī poetry, combining vernacular language of the Arabian Peninsula with archaic vocabulary and images dating to Arabic poetry’s very origins. Distinguished by Ibn Ẓāhir’s unique voice, Love, Death, Fame offers a glimpse of what life was like four centuries ago in the region that is now the UAE.

A bilingual Arabic-English edition.

Editions of Love, Death, Fame

AltFormat
ISBN 9781479806577
EBook
ISBN 9781479806584

Read an Excerpt

Poems and tales of a literary forefather of the United Arab Emirates

Love, Death, Fame features the poetry of al-Māyidī ibn Ẓāhir, who has been embraced as the earliest poet in what would later become the United Arab Emirates. Although little is known about his life, he is the subject of a sizeable body of folk legend and is thought to have lived in the seventeenth century, in the area now called the Emirates. The tales included in Love, Death, Fame portray him as a witty, resourceful, scruffy poet, at times combative and at times kindhearted.

His poetry primarily features verses of wisdom and romance, with scenes of clouds and rain, desert migrations, seafaring, and pearl diving. Like Arabian Romantic and Arabian Satire, this collection is a prime example of Nabaṭī poetry, combining vernacular language of the Arabian Peninsula with archaic vocabulary and images dating to Arabic poetry’s very origins. Distinguished by Ibn Ẓāhir’s unique voice, Love, Death, Fame offers a glimpse of what life was like four centuries ago in the region that is now the UAE.

A bilingual Arabic-English edition.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Love, Death, Fame about?

Poems and tales of a literary forefather of the United Arab Emirates

Love, Death, Fame features the poetry of al-Māyidī ibn Ẓāhir, who has been embraced as the earliest poet in what would later become the United Arab Emirates. Although little is known about his life, he is the subject of a sizeable body of folk legend and is thought to have lived in the seventeenth century, in the area now called the Emirates. The tales included in Love, Death, Fame portray him as a witty, resourceful, scruffy poet, at times combative and at times kindhearted.

His poetry primarily features verses of wisdom and romance, with scenes of clouds and rain, desert migrations, seafaring, and pearl diving. Like Arabian Romantic and Arabian Satire, this collection is a prime example of Nabaṭī poetry, combining vernacular language of the Arabian Peninsula with archaic vocabulary and images dating to Arabic poetry’s very origins. Distinguished by Ibn Ẓāhir’s unique voice, Love, Death, Fame offers a glimpse of what life was like four centuries ago in the region that is now the UAE.

A bilingual Arabic-English edition.

What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in Love, Death, Fame?

Biography, Literature and Literary studies > Biography and non-fiction prose > Anthologies

Where can I read a sample of Love, Death, Fame?

You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9781479806577

How long is Love, Death, Fame and how many pages does it have?

Love, Death, Fame has 400 page(s)

Is Love, Death, Fame part of a series, and can it be read as a standalone?

Yes it is a part of series Library of Arabic Literature

Who is/are the Author/s of the book Love, Death, Fame?

al-Māyidī ibn Ẓāhir

Who is the Publisher of the book Love, Death, Fame?

NYU Press

What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?

Love, Death, Fame is available as altformat(ISBN 9781479806577) and ebook(ISBN 9781479806584)

Where can I buy Love, Death, Fame online or support local independent bookshops?

You can buy Love, Death, Fame from below

Where can I buy Love, Death, Fame?