The Epistle of Forgiveness av Abu l-'Ala' al-Ma'arri

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<p>Known as ¿one of the most complex and unusual texts in Arabic literature¿ (<i>Banipal Magazine</i>), <i>The Epistle of Forgiveness</i> is the lengthy reply by the prolific Syrian poet and prose writer, Abu l-''Ala'' al-Ma''arri (d. 449/1057), to a letter by an obscure grammarian, Ibn al-Qari. With biting irony, The Epistle of Forgiveness mocks Ibn al-Qari¿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. In al-Ma''arri¿s imaginative telling, Ibn al-Qari also glimpses Hell and converses with the Devil and various heretics.<br/>Al-Ma''arri¿a maverick, a vegan, and often branded a heretic himself¿seems to mock popular ideas about the Hereafter. Among other things, he introduces us to hypocrites, poets, princes, rebels, mystics, and apostates, with asides on piety, superstition, wine-drinking, old age, and other topics. This remarkable book is the first complete translation of this