Literatures of the Middle East Book

Introduction.

SUMERIAN, AKKADIAN, AND EGYPTIAN LITERATURES.

The Pyramid Texts (funeral poems) (Egypt) (2464-2355 B.C.).

Enheduanna (poems) (Sumer) (c. 2300 B.C.).

from The Epic of Gilgamesh (epic poem) (Babylonia) (c. 2000 B.C.).

Adapa: The Man (myth) (Babylonia) (2nd millennium B.C.).

The Shipwrecked Sailor (story) (Egypt) (c. 2040-1650 B.C.).

Tale of the Doomed Prince (story) (Egypt) (c. 2040-1650 B.C.).

The Book of the Dead (spells) (Egypt) (c. 1500 B.C.).

Ancient Egyptian Love Poems (poems) (Egypt) (1554-1085 B.C.).

BIBLICAL LITERATURE: OLD TESTAMENT, NEW TESTAMENT, AND INTERTESTAMENT.

Introduction.

The Old Testament (11th century to 1st century B.C.) Israel.

Genesis.

Job.

Songs of David (Psalms).

Ecclesiastes, or the Preacher.

The Song of Songs.

Isaiah.

Daniel.

Jewish Apocrypha.

NEW TESTAMENT (55-100).

Matthew (gospel) (Israel or Syrian Antioch) (A.D. 80-110).

Mark (gospel) (Israel, Syria, Alexandria, or Rome?) (after A.D. 70).

Luke (gospel) (Place of composition unknown) (A.D. 80-85).

John (gospel) (Ephesus?) (between A.D. 80-120).

Paul (letter) (Tarsus/Jerusalem) (A.D. 5 to A.D. mid-60s).

Revelation (Ephesus or Patmos?) (apocalypse) (100?).

INTERTESTAMENT: JEWISH PSEUDOEPIGRAPHA, DEAD SEA SCROLLS, JEWISH-CHRISTIAN ODES, GNOSTIC SCRIPTURES (2nd CENTURY B.C. TO 3RD CENTURY A.D.)

The Book of Jubilees (Israel/Alexandria) (2nd century B.C.).

The Thanksgiving Psalms (Dead Sea Scrolls) (Israel) (1st century A.D.). Introduction to Gnosticism.

The Gospel of Thomas (prophecies, proverbs, and parables of Jesus) (Syria, Palestine, or Mesopotamia) (c. A.D. 200).

The Odes of Solomon (Syria?) (2nd century).

The Hymn of the Pearl (narrative poem) (Syria?) (2nd or 3rd century).

On the Origin of the World (Gnostic genesis) (Greek/Coptic Egypt) (3rd century).

NEOPLATONISM.

Plotinus (Neoplatonic philosophy) (Alexandria, Egypt) (205-270).

EARLY ARABIC LITERATURE.

Al-Khansa (poems) (Arabia) (575-646).

Muallaqat (The Suspended Odes) (Arabia) (6th-early 7th centuries).

The Quran (Arabia) (7th century).

Rabia the Mystic (poems and miracle story) (Iraq) (712-801).

Abu Nuwas (poem) (Persia/Baghdad) (b. between 747-762, d. between 813-815).

The Thousand and One Nights (tales) (Baghdad, Iraq) (c. 9th-14th centuries).

Usamah Ibn Munqidh (memoir) (Syria) (1095-1188).

POEMS OF ARAB ANDALUSIA.

Introduction (711-1492).

Ibn Shuhayd (Córdoba) (992-1034).

Ibn Hazm (Córdoba) (994-1064).

Solomon Ben Gabirol (Hebrew) (Máaga) (c.1021-1022-c.1055).

Ibn Ammar (Sevilla) (1030-1083).

Ibn Burd (Córdoba) (d. 1053).

Judah Halevi (Hebrew) (c. 1075-1141).

Abu l-Hasan Al-Hursi (Eastern Andalusia) (d. 1095).

Ibn Abi l-Haytham (uncertain period).

Ibn Iyad (Central Andalusia) (1083-1149).

Abu l-Hasan Ibn Al-Qabturnuh (Badajoz) (d. 1134).

Abu l-Qasim al-Manisi (Sevilla) (12th century).

PERSIAN LITERATURE.

Ferdowsi (epic poem) (Persia) (c. 940-1020).

Omar Khayyam (poems) (Persia) (c.1048- 1131).

Attar (Farid Ad-Din Attar) (poems) (Persia) (c.1120-1220).

Rumi (poems) (Persia/Turkey) (1207-1273).

Sadi (prose and poems) (Persia) (1184-1292).

Hafiz (poems) (Persia) (c. 1320-1390).

MODERN ARABIC, HEBREW, TURKISH, ALEXANDRIAN GREEK, AND PERSIAN LITERATURES.

Introduction.

Traditional Song (Algeria) (from uncertain period).

Constantine Cavafy (poems) (Alexandria/Egypt) (1863-1933).

S. Y. Agnon (story) (Israel) (1888-1970).

Nazim Hikmet (poem) (Turkey) (1902-1963).

Naguib Mahfouz (story) (Egypt) (1911-).

Mririda Nait Attik (poems) (Berber) (Morocco) (c.1919-).

Yashar Kemal (story) (Turkey) (1922-).

Nizar Qabbani (poems) (Syria) (1923-).

Yehuda Amichai (poems) (Israel) (1924-).

Badr Shakir al-Sayyab (poems) (Iraq) (1926-1964).

Yusuf Idris (story) (Egypt) (1927-1990).

Joyce Mansour (poems) (Egypt/England/France) (1928-1988).

Adunis (Ali Ahmed Said) (poems) (Syria/Lebanon) (1930-).

Dan Pagis (poems) (Israel) (1930-1986).

Nawal Al-Saadawi (story, memoir) (Egypt) (1931-).

Forugh Farrokhzad (poems) (Iran) (1935-1967).

Reza Baraheni (poem) (Iran) (1935-).

Dahlia Ravikovitch (poems) (Israel) (1936-).

Haydar Haydar (story) (Syria) (1936-).

Mohamed el-Bisatie (story) (Egypt) (1938-).

Amos Oz (story) (Israel) (1939-).

Mohammed Mrabet (story) (Morocco) (1940-).

Mahmud Darwish (poems) (Palestine/Lebanon) (1942-).

Hatif Janabi (poems) (Iraq/Poland) (1955-).

Khaled Mattawa (poems) (Libya) (1964-).