Adventures of Sayf Ben Dhi Yazan

LENA JAYYUSI is Chair of the Department of Communication Studies at Cedar Crest College. In 1994–95 she was an Annenberg Scholar at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. She is author of Categorization and the Moral Order.

"A charming and agreeable surprise ... A welcome gift to Western readers." --Kirkus Reviews "Editor Jayyusi offers a major example of the Arabic folk epics or romances called siras ... The siras are full of heroic adventures, exotic landscapes, love affairs, friendships, supernatural dangers, magical spells, and great Arab heroes..." --Library Journal "This text should find its place alongside the translations of other epic traditions of the world as a text well suited for use in university courses on the Middle East, world literature, epic, and folklore." Journal of Arabic Literature "... a saga that remains dramatically current, politically relevant, and eminently readable." Comparative Literature "Colourful panoramas of heroic feats, magical escapades, bizarre landscapes and beings, brief or long-lasting love affairs, sincere friendships all propel this Arab romance." Translation Review "The translation is enormously accomplished, a most successful attempt ... that captures the fabulous nature of the events recounted." Roger Allen

• Acknowledgments by Salma Khadra JayyusiIntroduction by Harry NorrisTranslator's Introduction by Lena Jayyusi1. King Dhi Yazan2. Wahsh Al-Fala3. The Quest for the Book of the Nile4. Schemes & Revelations5. The Sword6. Weddings7. Ghouls & Giants8. Kings & Magicians9. Ailments & Remedies10. The Garden of Delights11. The Great Battle12. Retribution13. The City of MaidensGlossary of Names and PlacesAppendix: References to Arabic TextContributorsMotif Index