Middle Eastern Islamic Literatures in Translation

3 units

This course will study, in English translation, several great works of Islamic literature that still influence or reflect the ways in which we perceive Islamic culture today. We will critically consider great and disparate literary works, originally written in a variety of languages including Arabic, Turkish, and Persian and stretched from Spain to India, which share the common backdrop of an urban and educated milieu in which they were produced, widely read, and circulated. The course aims at exploring the literary cultures in their historical and social context. Possible themes include court literature, politics, Sufi literature, history, theology, and literature of romance. All readings are in English.