出版社：Middle East Documentation Center (MEDOC), University of Chicago
摘要：A few years ago, I was searching for manuscripts of Ibn Nubātah’s Al-Qaṭr al- Nubātī, his once-famous collection of epigrams. I found out that one of the many manuscripts was kept in a library in the Arab world, and when I happened to visit that country, I decided to stop by and ask for a copy. My visit was successful. I was not only given a free copy of the manuscript, but also an appointment with the director of the manuscript department. Our conversation was less successful, however, since the director harshly disapproved of my scholarly interests. In his eyes, the study of Mamluk literature was not only a waste of time, but an enterprise that would do nothing but bring shame on the Arabs as well. “There is nothing in Mamluk literature,” he concluded, “illā madḥ al-nabī wa-mā yusammī al-Amrīkān ‘gay literature.’” Before I had time to protest, he read the first line of the first epigram at the beginning of the manuscript aloud and exclaimed: “ayna hādhā min al-Mutanabbī!” “What’s this compared to al-Mutanabbī!” After my anger had simmered down, I started to think about
