Adventures Of Amir Hamza

The Arabian Nights of the Mughal world in its definitive English translation. The Adventures of Amir Hamza dates back hundreds of years, perhaps to as early as the seventh century, when oral narratives of the deeds of the prophet Muhammed`s uncle Amir Hamza spread through Arabia, Persia and the Indian subcontinent, expanding into a marvelous chronicle. The definitive one-volume Urdu text by Ghalib Lakhnavi and Abdullah Bilgrami appeared toward the end of the nineteenth century, but English translations of this text have always been censored and abridged, until now. In Musharraf Ali Farooqi`s faithful rendition, The Adventures of Amir Hamza is captured with all its colourful action, ribaldry, and fantastic elements intact. Here is the spellbinding story of Amir Hamza the adventurer who loves Mehr-Nigar, the daughter of the Persian emperor, Naushervan. Guided by a clairvoyant called Bazurjmehr, protected by legendary prophets, and accompanied by his loyal friend, the ingenious trickster Amar Ayyar, Amir Hamza rides his devoted winged demon-steed, Ashqar, into combat against a marvelous array of opponents. A sweeping tale, The Adventures of Amir Hamza is an extraordinary creation and a true literary treasure. 'Remarkable… The Iliad and Odyssey of the medieval Persian world: a rollicking, magic-filled heroic saga, full of myth and imagination.' William Dalrymple 'It's hard to think of an epic more dazzlingly splendid, and strangely forgotten, than The Adventures of Amir Hamza… Farooqi has given world literature a gift… Non-Urdu-speaking readers can at last appreciate an epic "on par with anything in the Western canon.” ' Time magazine 'How wonderful that English speaking readers now have access to one of the great classical narratives of popular Persian and Islamic culture. The universal appeal of this book lies in its colourful, playful and simply beautiful rendition of a world that is both fabulous and greatly entertaining.' Azar Nafisi