The Arabian Nights by Unknown Or Mille et Une Nuits

 The Arabian Nights by Unknown


Or Mille et Une Nuits

 

For the English speaking world we have the Arabian Nights; in other cultures, including mine- Romanian, we are talking about 1001 nights.

 

Is it kind of late to read and write about 1001 nights? Yes, indeed.

A few years ago I decided to read only the best books. Searching the internet, we find an infinite number of lists of best books, most of them personal compilations. There a few lists which stand out and there seem to be a huge number of references to them: The Modern Library, The Guardian and The TIME list in particular. So I embarked on the task of reading the books on those lists, to which I would add The Friendswood and Le Monde.

I am happy with this choice- I have read the majority of the books listed and enjoyed thoroughly most of them.

When I had doubts, like with the 1001 nights, I decided to go through them again. Of course I knew about Sinbad, Aladdin or Ali Baba. I just couldn’t recall if I know these stories from the book, or cartoons, films, etc.

The reading of milles et une nuits, to which reference is made by Proust, in A La Recherche du Temps Perdu, was puzzling for me: on one hand it seemed boring and too childish in large parts and on the other hand too cruel for a child to read. Maybe it is all this talk of political correctness that is exerting its influence. Fact is I did not like to imagine the body of the brother of Ali Baba cut in half and countless people beheaded or eaten by cannibals, with limbs cut off. These were the times perhaps, but I for one lost my early fondness for these stories.

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