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Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology & the Ancient World
Brown University
Box 1837 / 60 George Street
Providence, RI 02912
Telephone: (401) 863-3188
Fax: (401) 863-9423
Joukowsky_Institute@brown.edu
Posted at Apr 08/2009 12:49PM:
JRG: Abu Nawas was a great Arabic and Persian poet from the eighth century. Born in Ahwaz, Persia, his mother sold him into slavery in Basra. Afterward, he moved to Baghdad, where he became famous for his humorous poetry, which dealt with urban subjects and the pleasures of wine, unlike traditional Arabic desert poetry. After he was imprisoned for drunkenness, he wrote more religious penitent poems.
He was a major influence on writers like Omar Khayyam, and there is a caricature of him in "One Thousand and One Nights." Most importantly, he represents the new urban educated non-religious elite of eighth century Baghdad, during the beginnings of Abbasid rule.
Posted at Apr 10/2009 01:16PM:
ian: Sounds good