Description
Book Synopsis‘Abd al-Jabbar ibn Hamdis (1055–1133) survives as the best-known figure from four centuries of Arab-Islamic civilisation on the island of Sicily. There he grew up in a society enriched by a century of cultural development but whose unity was threatened by competing warlords. After the Normans invaded, he followed many other Muslims in emigrating, first to North Africa and then to Seville, where he began his career as a court poet.
Although he achieved fame and success in his time, Ibn Hamdis was forced to bear witness to sectarian strife among the Muslims of both Sicily and Spain, and the gradual success of the Christian reconquest, including the decline of his beloved homeland. Through his verse, William Granara examines his life and times.
Trade Review‘An intriguing and original approach that brings together historical events and verses of the Siculo-Arab poet Ibn Hamdis. The author offers a wholehearted evocation of the life of a great human being and the difficult times of wars and political transitions he lived through.’
-- Francesca Maria Corrao, Professor of Arabic Language and Culture, LUISS University Rome
‘Erudite and beautifully written… Granara has charmingly translated Ibn Hamdis’s poetry, which is distinguished by novel meanings, a profound lyrical sense of nostalgic longing, and audacious and memorable metaphors… It is a must-read for students of Arabic culture, Mediterranean studies, and medievalists.’
-- Maher Jarrar, Professor, American University of Beirut
Table of Contents1 BORN UNDER A BAD SIGN
The Kalbids of Sicily
Muslim Sicily Unraveling
Born in Syracuse, Becoming a Poet
Education in an Early Jihadi Frontier
The Rise of an Indigenous Muslim-Sicilian Culture
Poetry in Muslim Sicily, From Philology to Art and Politics
Crafting a Poetics of ‘Homeland’
2 DILEMMA: TO REMAIN OR DEPART
Sojourn in Sfax: Maintaining the Ifriqiya-Sicily Connection
Asad ibn al-Furat: Muslim Sicily’s Founding Father
Ibn Hawqal’s Sicilian Chapter
In the Shadow of the Norman Conquest
3 THE FIRST DESERT CROSSING
Ifriqiya: A Divided and Turbulent Motherland
The Zirid Dynasty of Ifriqiya
The ‘Arabs’ of Eleventh-Century Ifriqiya
On the Desert Highway: Traveling with Arab Companions
4 LA DOLCE VITA IN SEVILLE
The ‘Abbadid Kingdom of Seville
Muslim Spain and Muslim Sicily: A Comparative View
Elegy to a Father
Serving the Patron: The Political Panegyric
Court Poet as Court Functionary
The Looming Threat of the Christian Reconquest
Poetic Sparring: Poet as Client, Poet as Competitor
5 FROM THE DARK CLOUDS OF AL-ZALLAQA TO A SECOND EXILE
Confrontation at Badajoz: Enter the Almoravids
The Battle of al-Zallaqa
The Fall of the ‘Abbadids of Seville
6 1091: ANNUS HORRIBILIS AND THE SECOND DESERT CROSSING
Intermission at Qal‘at Bani Hammad
Return to Mahdia
Connecting to the Zirids: Praise and Blame for Tamim
Vigilant Eye on the Norman Conquest
Ode to a Falling Homeland
Back to the Family in Sfax: Mourning the Loss of an Aunt and a Wife
7 THE POETICS OF JIHAD: AT THE ZIRID COURT IN MAHDIA
At the Court of Yahya ibn Tamim
Revolt and Murder at the Zirid Palace
Breaking Ranks in Gabes
From Seville to Nicotera and Mahdia: The Almoravids Move East
Victory at al-Dimas
The Almohads on the Horizon
8 TIME OF REFLECTION: ASCETIC VERSES AND ARABS AT THE NORMAN COURT
Retreat into Devotional Verse
Arabs and Muslim Culture at the Norman Court in Palermo
9 TWILIGHT: BLINDNESS, LOSS, AND DEFEAT
Losing Sight
Sicily Forever on the Mind
Elegy to a Nephew and Family History
Mourning a Daughter, Mourning a Homeland
Death and Burial
Ibn Hamdis’s Legacy in History and Literature
