Impostures
Impostures

    Impostures - Paperback

    $20.19
     per 
    In stock!
    People are currently viewing this
    Select The Options Above
    Description

    by Al-Ḥarīrī (Author), Michael Cooperson (Translator), Abdelfattah Kilito (Foreword by)

    One of the Wall Street Journal's Top 10 Books of the Year

    Winner, 2020 Sheikh Zayed Book Award, Translation Category

    Shortlist, 2021 National Translation Award

    Finalist, 2021 PROSE Award, Literature Category

    Fifty rogue's tales translated fifty ways

    An itinerant con man. A gullible eyewitness narrator. Voices spanning continents and centuries. These elements come together in Impostures, a groundbreaking new translation of a celebrated work of Arabic literature.

    Impostures follows the roguish Abū Zayd al-Sarūjī in his adventures around the medieval Middle East--we encounter him impersonating a preacher, pretending to be blind, and lying to a judge. In every escapade he shows himself to be a brilliant and persuasive wordsmith, composing poetry, palindromes, and riddles on the spot. Award-winning translator Michael Cooperson transforms Arabic wordplay into English wordplay of his own, using fifty different registers of English, from the distinctive literary styles of authors such as Geoffrey Chaucer, Mark Twain, and Virginia Woolf, to global varieties of English including Cockney rhyming slang, Nigerian English, and Singaporean English.

    Featuring picaresque adventures and linguistic acrobatics, Impostures brings the spirit of this masterpiece of Arabic literature into English in a dazzling display of translation.

    An English-only edition.

    Author Biography

    al-Ḥarīrī (Author)
    Al-Ḥarīrī (d. 516/1122) was a poet, scholar, and government official from Basra, Iraq. He is celebrated for his virtuosity in producing rhymed prose narratives, the Maqāmāt.

    Abdelfattah Kilito (Foreword by)
    Abdelfattah Kilito is the author of several acclaimed studies of Arabic literature, including Arabs and the Art of Storytelling and a study of the maqāmāt genre. He is the recipient of the Great Moroccan Award, the Al Owais Award for Criticism and Literature Studies, and a Prix from the Académie Française.

    Michael Cooperson (Translator)
    Michael Cooperson is Professor of Arabic in the Department of Near Eastern Languages & Cultures at UCLA. His translations include The Life of Ibn Ḥanbal by Ibn al-Jawzī for the Library of Arabic Literature, and The Author and His Doubles by the eminent Moroccan literary critic Abdelfattah Kilito.

    Number of Pages: 542
    Dimensions: 1.3 x 8.3 x 5.8 IN
    Publication Date: September 07, 2021
    Add to Cart Select The Options Above

    Reviews

    Exceptional Support and Clean Code

    I was impressed by how fast the support team responded to my questions. Even as someone with basic coding knowledge, I found the theme incredibly easy to work with. The code is well-organized, and everything runs smoothly.

    — Lucas M

    Small Business Owner (Electronics Store)

    Reliable Theme with Excellent Customer Service

    After trying multiple themes, I finally chose Wokiee — and haven’t looked back. It’s reliable, modern, and easy to customize without coding. What impressed me most was their support team: fast, helpful, and willing to assist even with third-party issues. That level of service is rare!

    — Sophie N

    Owner of a Home Decor Store

    Beautiful Design and Great Flexibility

    Wokiee is hands down the best Shopify theme I’ve used. The design options are stunning and fully customizable. I was able to build a high-converting store without any external developers.

    — Rachel L

    Fashion Brand Founder

    Top-Notch Support and Regular Updates

    The customer support team is incredible — helpful, responsive, and very professional. They’ve helped me resolve everything from layout tweaks to app integrations. Plus, the theme is regularly updated with new features.

    — David P

    Shopify Consultant

    Amazing Customization Options"!

    Wokiee gave me full creative control over my store’s layout and visuals. The theme’s design blocks are so flexible that I could create something truly unique — without touching a single line of code.

    — James T

    Handmade Goods Seller

    High-Quality Theme with Professional Code

    You can tell Wokiee was built by pros. The code is clean and optimized for performance. No bloated features — just what you need. My store loads fast and looks great on all devices.

    — Anna V

    UI/UX Designer