Description
Book SynopsisPoems of love and battle by Arabia's legendary warrior
From the sixth-century highlands of Najd in the Arabian peninsula, on the eve of the advent of Islam, come the strident cries of a legendary warrior and poet. The black outcast son of an Arab father and an Ethiopian slave mother, ''Antarah ibn Shaddad struggled to win the recognition of his father and tribe. He defied social norms and, despite his outcast status, loyally defended his people.
''Antarah captured his tumultuous life in uncompromising poetry that combines flashes of tenderness with blood-curdling violence. His war songs are testaments to his life-long battle to win the recognition of his people and the hand of ''Ablah, the free-born woman he loved but who was denied him by her family.
War Songs presents the poetry attributed to ''Antarah and includes a selection of poems taken from the later Epic of ''Antar, a popular story-cycle that continues to captivate and charm Arab audiences to
Trade Review
An unmistakable voice...What is perhaps most beautiful about War Songs is how 'Antarah hints at tenderness beneath the violence, defending slaughter for a cause and remaining faithful to tribe and family, even in the face of death. * Marginalia (Los Angeles Review of Books) *
The Library of Arabic Literature has another landmark success with this so-called untranslatable poet...Sixth-century Arabia may be 'strange,' but the years of struggle on the part of this scholar-writer and his poet collaborator have given the general reader a visceral insight into this world in compelling, beautiful poetry. * Times Literary Supplement *
Beautifully accomplished by James E. Montgomery in collaboration with fellow scholar-translator, Richard Sieburth...Dynamic, fully cinematic translations that effect ‘the transfer of energy’ essential to literary translation...An exciting addition to the LAL corpus. * IASA Bulletin *
War Songs is a well-presented collection, with useful supplementary material, from the introductory matter to the appendices. * The Complete Review *
Presented in modern form, the translations are as clear and unexpected as ʿAntarah’s original verse. The volume’s comprehensive introduction to the life, poetry and lore of ʿAntarah, along with scholarly accounts of him and his works, provide an insightful portrayal of an enduring literary legend. * Aramco World *
