Love and Poetry in the Middle East: Love and Literature from Antiquity to the Present

Love has been a significant theme in Middle Eastern literature, from ancient times to modern, and this book explores love poetry in various ancient and contemporary languages, including Akkadian, ancient Egyptian, Classical and Modern Standard Arabic, Persian, Hebrew, Turkish, and Kurdish. It reflects the discursive evolution of the theme of love and the sensibilities, styles, and techniques used to convey it.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 272 pages
Publication date: 24 August 2023
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Love has played a significant role in the literature of the region we now know as the Middle East, spanning from ancient times to the present. This book delves into the analysis of love poetry across various ancient and contemporary languages of the Middle East, including Akkadian, ancient Egyptian, Classical and Modern Standard Arabic, Persian, Hebrew, Turkish, and Kurdish. It encompasses literary materials that have been unearthed and brought to light for the first time.

Together, the chapters showcase the discursive evolution of the theme of love, as well as the sensibilities, styles, and techniques employed to convey it. They trace the transition from the simple expressions of love in ancient poetry to the intricate and diverse reflections of human emotions in medieval languages and, ultimately, to the modern period, which mirrors the complexities and nuances of our contemporary times.

By providing a glimpse into the diverse literary languages and their relationship to the theme of love, this book appeals to scholars of Near and Middle Eastern Literature and Culture.

Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780755640980