Overview

‘ABD AL-JABBAR IBN HAMDIS (1055–1133) was a poet of the medieval Muslim Mediterranean world who survives as the best-known figure from four centuries of Arab-Islamic civilisation on the island of Sicily. Though he achieved fame and success in his time, he was forced to bear witness to sectarian strife among the Muslims of both Sicily and Spain, and the gradual success of the Christian reconquest. Today, his poetry provides us with a window on to the tumultuous times in which he lived, from his youth in Sicily to his professional formation in Seville, and finally to his return to north Africa where he witnessed and recorded the gradual decline of his beloved homeland under the Normans.

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9781786078469

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'An intriguing and original approach that brings together historical events and verses of the Siculo-Arab poet Ibn Hamdis. The author offers a wholehearted evocation of the life of a great human being and the difficult times of wars and political transitions he lived through.' -- Francesca Maria Corrao, Professor of Arabic Language and Culture, LUISS University Rome

‘An intriguing and original approach that brings together historical events and verses of the Siculo-Arab poet Ibn Hamdis. The author offers a wholehearted evocation of the life of a great human being and the difficult times of wars and political transitions he lived through.’ -- Francesca Maria Corrao, Professor of Arabic Language and Culture, LUISS University Rome ‘Erudite and beautifully written… Granara has charmingly translated Ibn Hamdis’s poetry, which is distinguished by novel meanings, a profound lyrical sense of nostalgic longing, and audacious and memorable metaphors… It is a must-read for students of Arabic culture, Mediterranean studies, and medievalists.’ -- Maher Jarrar, Professor, American University of Beirut

Author Information

William Granara is Professor of the Practice of Arabic on the Gordon Gray Endowment and Director of the Center for Middle East Studies at Harvard University. He was awarded a Walter Channing Cabot Fellowship for his monograph Narrating Muslim Sicily: War and Peace in the Medieval Mediterranean World.

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