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Book Reviews

Book Reviews Al-Masaq, Vol. 20, No. 2, September 2008 Medieval Arabic Historiography: Authors as Actors KONRAD HIRSCHLER, 2006 London: Routledge 192 pp. £65.00 (hardback) ISBN 9780415383776 This monograph approaches the subject of medieval Arabic historical writing by means of a micro-study of two historical texts written in the seventh/thirteenth century: the Kitab al-rawdatayn by AbuS  hama (1203–1267) and the Mufarrij by Ibn Wasil (d. 697/1298). Both these works cover the reigns of Nur  al-Din Zangi and Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi and are thus compared as two dynastic histories _ _ focusing on the same era, which are nonetheless different in significant ways. These differences are the grist for Hirschler’s contention that such chronicles were not simply panegyrics or objective records but actually show considerable creativity and ingenuity in their careful use of existing sources to present an individual view of history. In his own words, it is a reflection of the ‘‘agency’’ which such medieval authors enjoyed in their production of texts (p. 1). Hirschler notes that both Ibn Wasil and AbuS  hama made extensive use of existing materials but argues that a close literary analysis of the texts tells us much about the context within which these historians http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Al-Masaq: Journal of the Medieval Mediterranean Taylor & Francis

Book Reviews

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Book Reviews

Abstract

Al-Masaq, Vol. 20, No. 2, September 2008 Medieval Arabic Historiography: Authors as Actors KONRAD HIRSCHLER, 2006 London: Routledge 192 pp. £65.00 (hardback) ISBN 9780415383776 This monograph approaches the subject of medieval Arabic historical writing by means of a micro-study of two historical texts written in the seventh/thirteenth century: the Kitab al-rawdatayn by AbuS  hama (1203–1267) and the Mufarrij by Ibn Wasil (d. 697/1298). Both these works cover the reigns of Nur ...
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Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Copyright
Copyright Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
ISSN
1473-348X
eISSN
0950-3110
DOI
10.1080/09503110802283440
Publisher site
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Abstract

Al-Masaq, Vol. 20, No. 2, September 2008 Medieval Arabic Historiography: Authors as Actors KONRAD HIRSCHLER, 2006 London: Routledge 192 pp. £65.00 (hardback) ISBN 9780415383776 This monograph approaches the subject of medieval Arabic historical writing by means of a micro-study of two historical texts written in the seventh/thirteenth century: the Kitab al-rawdatayn by AbuS  hama (1203–1267) and the Mufarrij by Ibn Wasil (d. 697/1298). Both these works cover the reigns of Nur  al-Din Zangi and Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi and are thus compared as two dynastic histories _ _ focusing on the same era, which are nonetheless different in significant ways. These differences are the grist for Hirschler’s contention that such chronicles were not simply panegyrics or objective records but actually show considerable creativity and ingenuity in their careful use of existing sources to present an individual view of history. In his own words, it is a reflection of the ‘‘agency’’ which such medieval authors enjoyed in their production of texts (p. 1). Hirschler notes that both Ibn Wasil and AbuS  hama made extensive use of existing materials but argues that a close literary analysis of the texts tells us much about the context within which these historians

Journal

Al-Masaq: Journal of the Medieval Mediterranean – Taylor & Francis

Published: Sep 1, 2008

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