Finding Aladdin
The Hidden History of a Syrian Storyteller
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Profile Books Ltd
Publishing:12th Nov '26
£20.00
This title is due to be published on 12th November, and will be despatched as soon as possible.
A captivating tale of literary deduction, uncovering the legendary storyteller behind the Arabian Nights
Eloquent, wide-ranging and informative ... a pleasure to read' Abdulrazak Gurnah This is a book about stories and storytelling, and about celebrating a young storyteller whose name was almost lost to history. When The Arabian Nights were first translated into European languages in the 1700s, they caused a sensation. Most were ancient tales, drawn from Arabic folklore. But perhaps the most famous of all, Aladdin, was completely new. Centuries later, a discovery in the Vatican archives revealed that Hanna Diab, a young Syrian adventurer, had spun stories from his own extraordinary life to create Aladdin, his alter ego in fiction. In this captivating case of literary deduction, Matthew Teller unearths the hidden history of the boy, the genie and his lamp, recovering a skilled storyteller hiding in plain sight.
Finding Aladdin is eloquent, wide-ranging, and informative, and in addition it effectively challenges some self-aggrandising narratives of orientalist learning. It is a pleasure to read -- Abdulrazak Gurnah
Through archival sleuthing and remarkable personal knowledge of the Eastern Mediterranean, Matthew Teller creates a history of the Aladdin story that will enthral readers -- Ruth B. Bottigheimer, author of FAIRY TALES: A NEW HISTORY
'Hanna Diab would have loved this book. Matthew Teller is as much a skilled raconteur as his subject, the young Christian narrator from Aleppo to whom the world owes the tales of Aladdin, Ali Baba, and many more -- Ulrich Marzolph, Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies, University of Göttingen
Praise for Nine Quarters of Jerusalem: Engaging ... Teller is an informed, enthusiastic guide to one of the most contested sites in the world * Financial Times *
As labyrinthine as the city it describes ... a curious, offbeat biography that comes alive through the many gathered voices * Critic *
Highly perceptive and readable ... Presents a subtle portrait of the current reality at the heart of the world's most intractable and divisive conflict ... Fascinating -- Ian Black * Observer *
ISBN: 9781805227250
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
256 pages
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