Impostures (Library of Arabic Literature, 65)

Rating: 4* of five

The Publisher Says: 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, show more 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.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.

My Review: I'm dazzled, and a bit frazzled, by this high-intensity read. Unlike most times I read vignettes, I was compelled to read the book in two sittings, instead of a more normal-for-me five or six. It is fun, often enough funny, and always about a fun-loving merry prankster and bon vivant living for the next encounter.

It's also a sarcastic snook-cocking at the pious liars who talk a godly game while fleecing or planning to fleece you. The Englishing of these cultural treasures of the Arabic language...wonderful word, better concept, "Englishing" for something like this that can not possibly be a translation...is the source of most of the fun. Many's the time I used the glossary, and thank goodness it was there.

What makes the read so much more than it sounds like it is from my maunderings is that indefinable *something* that clicks a switch in the reader, that makes words into stories, stories into memories.

That's what happened to me. I can only hope that is what will happen to you. show less

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 show more 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. show less

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this ebook from NetGalley in exchange for a review.

This is truly amazing translation in scope and execution. (I can only assume the original is superb, too, since I don't speak Arabic.) I had never even heard of this book when I saw it available on NetGalley, but I wanted to increase my exposure to Arab literature. When I read that the translator did every "story" (imposture) in a different English dialect or style, I knew I had to request it. Could he possibly pull it off?

Yes, I think he did. He states right up front that he's not aiming for a literal translation, because that's been done before (and not, in his opinion, to good effect). The sections are divided roughly in three: those translated show more to imitate a particular author's style (such as Chaucer), those done in different global dialects of English, and those done in a specialized jargon (such as legalese). That's a tall order, especially since no one person is likely to have mastery of all the styles and dialects involved. In my opinion, though, the translator has done an absolutely superb job with it. Whenever he uses a dialect that isn't his own, he has had at least one native speaker of that dialect proofread and correct it for him, so we can hope there isn't any sloppy faux dialect here.

I'm left feeling that the original must be a rich, varied text, and I'm lucky to have been introduced to it in translation. I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for classics of Arabic literature, but also for people who love experimenting with style and language. show less

Thank you NetGalley and NYU Press for an ARC of this book for an honest review.

This book went beyond the scope of my literary comprehension, hence my failure to finish reading and give it a proper rating. I think perhaps it has a particular audience familiar with the author and the legends/tales which have been given a scholarly academic translation with multiple footnotes and explanations.

Based on the publisher's description, I expected (and wished it had been) a "lighter read', something along the lines of One Thousand and One Nights (see below, part of the publisher's description):

"Fifty rogue’s tales translated fifty ways....An itinerant con man. A gullible eyewitness narrator. Voices spanning continents and centuries...Impostures show more 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...".

Sounds amazing. If there are Middle School through YA versions available (in English), I would be interested in reading these tales. show less