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Fabulous Machinery for the Curious

The Garden of Urdu Classical Literature
By Musharraf Ali Farooqi
Series: World Literature in Translation
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Fabulous Machinery for the Curious by Musharraf Ali Farooqi is a whimsical journey through a fantastical world where a curious inventor creates marvellous contraptions. The story unfolds as characters navigate this vibrant landscape, exploring themes of creativity and discovery. With a mix of humour and charm, the book invites readers to embark on an imaginative adventure.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$4799
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

If you have a fascination with the intricacies of human nature and enjoy stories that delve into the exploration of life's wonders through imaginative storytelling, this book may captivate you. It's a perfect read for those who appreciate general fiction infused with creativity and depth.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description
An absorbing, joyous, and colourful 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 civilisation resulted in a flowering of qissas in Urdu. This collection distils 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.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780520388239

Publisher: University of California Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 25 April 2023

Country: United States

Imprint: University of California Press

Illustration: 6 b-w illustrations

Audience: Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 38.0mm

Width: 127.0mm

Height: 197.0mm

Weight: 363g

Pages: 408

Collections

Asian History Education & Reference Fiction General Fiction History & Archaeology History & Military Literary Fiction Middle Eastern History Musharraf Ali Farooqi Series: World Literature in Translation

About the Author

Musharraf Ali Farooqi (micromaf.com) is an author, novelist, and translator whose most recent fiction is The Merman and the Book of Power: A Qissa. He is the translator, among other works, of The Adventures of Amir Hamza.

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