Li Guo, Ph.D. (1994) in Arabic Studies, Yale University, is on the faculty of the University of Notre Dame. His recent publication is Commerce, Culture, and Community in a Red Sea Port in the Thirteenth Century: The Arabic Documents from Quseir (Brill, 2004).

Prize for Research from the Institut International de la Marionnette, 2015."Li Guo hat ein wunderbares Werk über eine Persönlichkeit vorgelegt, die vor allem deshalb so interessant und spannend ist, weil sie uns tief in die Welt der nicht-gelehrten Unterhaltung einer vormodernen nahöstlichen Gesellschaft einführt." – Stephan Conermann, in: Sehepunkte. Rezensionsjournal für die Geschichtswissenschaften 13.4 (2013)"[Guo] has solved many knotty problems and managed to convey the spirit of a very intriguing but difficult text." – Geert Jan van Gelder, in: Journal of the American Oriental Society 134.3 (2014), pp. 536-539"…a worthy and important contribution to the history of Arabic literature, as well as the social and cultural history of the Mamluk empire. […] It is astonishing that Guo has been able to synthesize such complex and dense material into a remarkably readable and informative discussion, and in doing so has led the way for further research by Arabists as well as non-Arabist theatre historians. [...] Guo's achievement is significant and indeed I hope it will be transformative." – Adam Talib, in: Mamlūk Studies Review XVIII (2015), 358-362

• PrefaceAbbreviationsPart One: Life as a PlayAct 1: Eye doctor and street buffoonAct 2: Court panegyrist and jesterAct 3: Satirist and shadow playwrightPart Two: Legacy and ControversyThe making of the Arabic shadow playThe ornament of the poetryThe many faces of a performerPart Three: The PlayThe Phantom: A shadow playAppendix 1: ManuscriptsAppendix 2: SourcesBibliographyIndex