by al-Hamadhani

In a literature renowned primarily for its poetry, Badi` al-Zaman al-Hamadhani (967-1007) achieved fame as a prose writer. Al-Hamadhani is best known for his collection of anecdotal short narratives in Arabic, called the maqamat (singular: maqamah). Comic as well as serious, they deal with some of the most controversial religious and ethical questions of the time, often in a lighthearted or ironic way. Al-Hamadhani’s stature as one of the greatest writers of Arabic is paradoxical because of his Persian origins. As his name indicates, al- Hamadhani was born in Hamadhan, a city in northwestern Persia (modern-day Iran). In the early 990s, after living in the cities of Ray and Jurjan, he moved to Nishapur. Robbed by bandits during the journey, he arrived there destitute and had to contend with a formidable competitor in Nishapur, one of the great rhetoricians and prose writers of the time...