Arabian Nights
Množina: Arabian Nights
Tales in oral circulation among Arab storytellers from the 10th century, probably having their roots in India. They are also known as The Thousand and One Nights and include Ali Baba, Aladdin, Sinbad the Sailor, and The Old Man of the Sea.
They were supposed to have been told to the sultan by his bride Scheherazade to avoid the fate of her predecessors, who were all executed following the wedding night to prevent their infidelity. She began a new tale each evening, which she would only agree to finish on the following night. Eventually the sentence was rescinded.
The earliest complete Arabic version dates from 181418, over 100 years later than the first European translation in 12 volumes 170408, by French writer Antoine Galland (16461715), which made the work famous. Some of the most famous episodes, such as Aladdin and Ali Baba, have no earlier source than Galland, who may have actually written the tales.
The earliest version in English dates from 1708; translations were also made by E W Lane 183840 and Richard Burton, who published a complete version 188588.
Arabian Nights · Arabian Nights' Entertainment · Thousand and One Nights
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