This is the first systematic literary study of one of the masterpieces of classical Arabic literature, the fourth/tenth century Kit¿al-agh¿ (The Book of Songs) by Ab¿ I-Faraj al-Isbah¿. Until now the twenty-four volume Book of Songs has been regarded as a rather chaotic but priceless mine of information about classical Arabic music, literature and culture. This book approaches it as a work of literature in its own right, with its own internal logic and coherence. The study also consistently integrates the musical component into the analysis and proposes a reading of the work in which individual anecdotes and poems are related to the wider context, enhancing their meaning. | Making The Great Book Of Songs by Hilary Kilpatrick, Paperback | Indigo Chapters