The Arabian Nights (Penguin Popular Classics)

Exotic chronicles. Not so much of a chronicles, but the story started with a cruel King who kills his bride the next day He marry her. So the wise Scheherazade saved the other potential brides from their unfortunate death by entertaining the King with tales of magical transformation, genies and wishes, terror and passion. Somehow similar to the Aesop’s tales that my dad used to tell as bedtime stories. Aesop demanded to tell some enchanting stories to the King before his death penalty. However, his life was prolonged because of his entertaining stories that the King kept him to tell stories.

Anyway, that’s Aesop who told the tales of animal kingdom. Reverting back to Arabian Nights, my friend told me that the story of Aladdin and the Magic Lamp was not supposed to be in the book. While the translator writing the script, he added Aladdin which he heard from the locals. I believe that can be true because most of the stories are set in Persia, whereas Aladdin was set in China.

My personal favorites are The Ebony Horse and Julnar the Mermaid and Her Son Badar Basim of Persia.

http://reading-now.blogspot.com/2007/07/arabian-nights.html#links ( )

Some great seperate stories but read all together you feel an over whelming sense that women are hated in that world. I'm so far from been a feminist but that book made me want to stand up and burn my bra. Awful sexist drivel. ( )