Fabulous Machinery for the Curious

Fabulous Machinery for the Curious PDF Author: Musharraf Ali Farooqi
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520388240
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 408

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Book Description
An absorbing, joyous, and colorful collection of stories from the qissa genre. Fabulous Machinery for the Curious presents the first English translation of some of the finest texts from the qissa genre. In this book, acclaimed translator Musharraf Ali Farooqi gathers the greatest of these tales, written or transcribed in the Urdu language by master storytellers in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Spreading from Persia to Arabia to South Asia over 1,500 years, the qissa appropriated verse and prose narratives to become the preeminent storytelling genre. The combined traditions of the many cultures of Indo-Islamic civilization resulted in a flowering of qissas in Urdu. This collection distills a vast body of oral and written literature, from resplendent sagas of romantic love and thrilling adventures in fairyland to picaresque stories of deception and haunting tales of nobility and viciousness. Fabulous Machinery for the Curious brings these forgotten gems to a new generation of readers and reminds us of the abiding power that great stories and ancient genres have for engaging the contemporary world.

Fabulous Machinery for the Curious

Fabulous Machinery for the Curious PDF Author: Musharraf Ali Farooqi
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520388240
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 408

Get Book

Book Description
An absorbing, joyous, and colorful collection of stories from the qissa genre. Fabulous Machinery for the Curious presents the first English translation of some of the finest texts from the qissa genre. In this book, acclaimed translator Musharraf Ali Farooqi gathers the greatest of these tales, written or transcribed in the Urdu language by master storytellers in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Spreading from Persia to Arabia to South Asia over 1,500 years, the qissa appropriated verse and prose narratives to become the preeminent storytelling genre. The combined traditions of the many cultures of Indo-Islamic civilization resulted in a flowering of qissas in Urdu. This collection distills a vast body of oral and written literature, from resplendent sagas of romantic love and thrilling adventures in fairyland to picaresque stories of deception and haunting tales of nobility and viciousness. Fabulous Machinery for the Curious brings these forgotten gems to a new generation of readers and reminds us of the abiding power that great stories and ancient genres have for engaging the contemporary world.

The Golden Peaches of Samarkand

The Golden Peaches of Samarkand PDF Author: Edward H. Schafer
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520341147
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 434

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Book Description
In the seventh century the kingdom of Samarkand sent formal gifts of fancy yellow peaches, large as goose eggs and with a color like gold, to the Chinese court at Ch'ang-an. What kind of fruit these golden peaches really were cannot now be guessed, but they have the glamour of mystery, and they symbolize all the exotic things longed for, and unknown things hoped for, by the people of the T'ang empire. This book examines the exotics imported into China during the T'ang Dynasty (A.D. 618-907), and depicts their influence on Chinese life. Into the land during the three centuries of T'ang came the natives of almost every nation of Asia, all bringing exotic wares either as gifts or as goods to be sold. Ivory, rare woods, drugs, diamonds, magicians, dancing girls—the author covers all classes of unusual imports, their places of origin, their lore, their effort on costume, dwellings, diet, and on painting, sculpture, music, and poetry. This book is not a statistical record of commercial imports and medieval trade, but rather a "humanistic essay, however material its subject matter."

A Proximate Remove

A Proximate Remove PDF Author: Reginald Jackson
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520382552
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 250

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Book Description
A free ebook version of this title is available through Luminos, University of California Press's Open Access publishing program. Visit www.luminosoa.org to learn more. How might queer theory transform our interpretations of medieval Japanese literature and how might this literature reorient the assumptions, priorities, and critical practices of queer theory? Through a close reading of The Tale of Genji, an eleventh-century text that depicts the lifestyles of aristocrats during the Heian period, A Proximate Remove explores this question by mapping the destabilizing aesthetic, affective, and phenomenological dimensions of experiencing intimacy and loss. The spatiotemporal fissures Reginald Jackson calls "proximate removes" suspend belief in prevailing structures. Beyond issues of sexuality, Genji queers in its reluctance to romanticize or reproduce a flawed social order. An understanding of this hesitation enhances how we engage with premodern texts and how we question contemporary disciplinary stances.

Longing and Other Stories

Longing and Other Stories PDF Author: Jun'ichirō. Tanizaki
Publisher: Columbia University Press
ISBN: 0231554419
Category : Literary Collections
Languages : en
Pages : 111

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Book Description
Jun’ichirō Tanizaki is one of the most eminent Japanese writers of the twentieth century, renowned for his investigations of family dynamics, eroticism, and cultural identity. Most acclaimed for his postwar novels such as The Makioka Sisters and The Key, Tanizaki made his literary debut in 1910. This book presents three powerful stories of family life from the first decade of Tanizaki’s career that foreshadow the themes the great writer would go on to explore. “Longing” recounts the fantastic journey of a precocious young boy through an eerie nighttime landscape. Replete with striking natural images and uncanny human encounters, it ends with a striking revelation. “Sorrows of a Heretic” follows a university student and aspiring novelist who lives in degrading poverty in a Tokyo tenement. Ambitious and tormented, the young man rebels against his family against a backdrop of sickness and death. “The Story of an Unhappy Mother” describes a vivacious but self-centered woman’s drastic transformation after a freak accident involving her son and daughter-in-law. Written in different genres, the three stories are united by a focus on mothers and sons and a concern for Japan’s traditional culture in the face of Westernization. The longtime Tanizaki translators Anthony H. Chambers and Paul McCarthy masterfully bring these important works to an Anglophone audience.

The Adventures of Amir Hamza

The Adventures of Amir Hamza PDF Author: Ghalib Lakhnavi
Publisher: Modern Library
ISBN: 0812977440
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 562

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Book Description
Here is a special abridged English translation of a major Indo-Persian epic: a panoramic tale of magic and passion, a classic hero’s odyssey that has captivated much of the world. It is the spellbinding story of Amir Hamza, the adventurer who in the service of the Persian emperor defeats many enemies, loves many women, and converts hundreds of infidels to the True Faith before finding his way back to his first love. In Musharraf Ali Farooqi’s remarkable abridged rendition, this masterwork is captured with all its colorful action and fantastic elements intact. Appreciated as the seminal Islamic epic or enjoyed as a sweeping tale as rich and inventive as Homer’s epic sagas, The Adventures of Amir Hamza is a true literary treasure.

Three Kingdoms

Three Kingdoms PDF Author: Guanzhong Luo
Publisher: University of California Press
ISBN: 0520344553
Category : Literary Collections
Languages : en
Pages : 477

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Book Description
“A material epic with an astonishing fidelity to history."—New York Times Book Review Three Kingdoms tells the story of the fateful last reign of the Han dynasty (206 B.C.–A.D. 220), when the Chinese empire was divided into three warring kingdoms. Writing some twelve hundred years later, the Ming author Luo Guanzhong drew on histories, dramas, and poems portraying the crisis to fashion a sophisticated, compelling narrative that has become the Chinese national epic. This abridged edition captures the novel's intimate and unsparing view of how power is wielded, how diplomacy is conducted, and how wars are planned and fought. As important for Chinese culture as the Homeric epics have been for the West, this Ming dynasty masterpiece continues to be widely influential in China, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam and remains a great work of world literature.

The Curious Kid's Science Book

The Curious Kid's Science Book PDF Author: Asia Citro
Publisher: The Innovation Press
ISBN: 1943147035
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 224

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Book Description
What happens if you water plants with juice? Where can you find bacteria in your house? Is slug slime as strong as a glue stick? How would your child find the answers to these questions? In The Curious Kid's Science Book, your child will learn to design his or her own science investigations to determine the answers! Children will learn to ask their own scientific questions, discover value in failed experiments, and — most importantly — have a blast with science. The 100+ hands-on activities in the book use household items to playfully teach important science, technology, engineering, and math skills. Each creative activity includes age-appropriate explanations and (when possible) real life applications of the concepts covered. Adding science to your at-home schedule will make a positive impact on your child's learning. Just one experiment a week will help build children's confidence and excitement about the sciences, boost success in the classroom, and give them the tools to design and execute their own science fair projects.

Horten's Miraculous Mechanisms

Horten's Miraculous Mechanisms PDF Author: Lissa Evans
Publisher: Union Square & Co.
ISBN: 1402798458
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 143

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Book Description
Enter a wonderful world filled with real magic, mystery … and danger. As if being small for his age and also having S. Horten as his name isnt bad enough, now 10-year-old Stuart is forced to move far away from all his friends.But on his very first day in his new home, Stuarts swept up in an extraordinary adventure: the quest to find his great-uncle Tony--a famous magician who literally disappeared off the face of the earth--and Tonys marvelous, long-lost workshop. Along the way, Stuart reluctantly accepts help from the annoying triplets next door… and encounters trouble from another magician whos also desperate to get hold of Tonys treasures. A quirky, smart, charming page-turner, Hortens Miraculous Mechanisms will enchant young readers--as well as teachers, librarians, and parents. Long-listed for the Carnegie Medal (2012) and the Guardian Childrens Fiction Prize (2011)

Creative Haven Curious Creatures Coloring Book

Creative Haven Curious Creatures Coloring Book PDF Author: Amy Weber
Publisher: Courier Corporation
ISBN: 0486492699
Category : Crafts & Hobbies
Languages : en
Pages : 68

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Book Description
Funky and fresh, 31 whimsical illustrations crackle a steampunk energy. Bursting with originality, the full-page scenes feature surrealistic combinations of animals, flowers, and other naturalistic elements with gears, robots, and machinery. Pages are perforated and printed on one side only for easy removal and display. Specially designed for experienced colorists, Curious Creatures and other Creative Haven(R) adult coloring books offer an escape to a world of inspiration and artistic fulfillment. Each title is also an effective and fun-filled way to relax and reduce stress.

Mahabharata

Mahabharata PDF Author:
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 9780520227040
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 452

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Book Description
William Buck's stirring retelling of a classic Indian epic--in its original Sanskrit, probably the largest epic ever composed.