Review: Fables from Arabia...
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 1, 2013
In addition to creation myths, societies have evolved fables that embody certain moral lessons, and these are passed on from generation to generation. In the West, there are Aesop's fables, the stories of Hans Christian Anderson, as well as the Canterbury Tales of Chaucer. Each has developed its own "momentum," and both declare and help shape key values of that society. Some of the fables have universal applications; others seem to be unique to that society. Having lived in Saudi Arabia for a number of years I have heard a few of their fables. I particularly delighted in one that seemed unique to the Kingdom, but definitely has universal applications. In brief, the tale involved a large hole on the side of the road, with people falling in, injuring themselves, and needing to be transported to the hospital. Numerous "efficiency experts" keep examining the problem, and "tweaking it" with improvements, without addressing the fundamental issue. As I said, universal applications.So, when I learned about this compilation of fables from Arabia, by Aisha Bilal, I felt it was a necessary read. Hatim, and his generosity, is a tale famous throughout the Arabian Peninsula. More so than most, and no doubt due to the transitory and harsh existence in Bedouin society, generosity towards strangers is a prized virtue. Hatim personifies it. Several of the tales relate a person's relationship with the powerful. Are the latter just or not? In the fourth tale, the king, Al-Numan bin A-Munthir is depicted as being arbitrary and capricious. A key subtext to this tale, as well as several others, is the importance of honoring one's given word by actions. This is particularly important in the last tale: "Three Nimble Minds." Another subject which is woven into more than one tale is the relationship between the Arabs and the Persians. It is a fundamental concern, which all too many people in the West, who think that Persians are Arabs, tend to forget.The "finagle," or sometimes what is known as the art of compromise, was developed in the fifth fable, concerning a rash promise made to sacrifice the life of one of the sons if all grew up to be healthy. Think my favorite was the fable about Al-Tanbouris's madas. These are his leather sandals. He viewed it as a virtue to repair them, and not discard them, by buying new ones. However, this "virtue" turned into a millstone around his neck, causing numerous appearances in Court before a judge. And even when Al -Tanbouris recognized that his virtue was a millstone, it seemed almost impossible to take appropriate corrective action.In the West, the Middle East, and, in particular, the Arabian peninsula, is viewed through a prism of geo-political concerns which has spawned a small "cottage industry" that promotes a negative and distorted view of the region. Reading these fables is a useful antidote to all the propaganda and biased images, as Edward Said so eloquently described in his classic book,Orientalism. Ms. Bilal's compilation of fables is rendered in excellent, straightforward English. 5-stars.