Talk
The Doctors' Dinner Party by Ibn Butlan
On the First Arabic Novella from the 11th Century:
Tuesday, December 12, 2017, 6:30PM
NYUAD Campus, Conference Center
Past Event
Open to the Public
This talk showcases a little-known gem of medieval Arabic creative literature, the Da`wat al-Aṭibbā’ or Doctors' Dinner Party by Ibn Butlan (d.1066 CE). This text is an important, but little-known, milestone in the history of pre-modern Arabic narrative. This talk also focuses on the significance of the work along with the challenges of translating such a work into English in the 21st century as well as why it still appeals to a contemporary audience.
This talk showcases a little-known gem of medieval Arabic creative literature, the Da`wat al-Aṭibbā’ or Doctors' Dinner Party by Ibn Butlan (d.1066 CE). This text is an important, but little-known, milestone in the history of pre-modern Arabic narrative. This talk also focuses on the significance of the work along with the challenges of translating such a work into English in the 21st century as well as why it still appeals to a contemporary audience.
- Philip Kennedy, General Editor, Library of Arabic Literature and Professor of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, NYUAD
- NYU Abu Dhabi Institute
- Maurice Pomerantz, Assistant Professor of Literature, NYUAD