One Hundred and One Nights (book)

Cycle of Arabic stories

One Hundred and One Nights (Arabic: كتاب فيه حديث مائة ليلة وليلة, romanized: Kitâb Fîhi Hadîth Mi'a Layla wa-Layla)[1] is a book of Arabic literature consisting of twenty stories, which presents many similarities to the more famous One Thousand and One Nights.[2]

Scheherazade and Shahryar by Ferdinand Keller, 1880

The origin of the work is a mystery.[2] Although some suggest the possibility that the stories have their origin in Persia or India,[3] they come from the Maghreb (Northwestern Africa),[4] which in turn, according to other authors, were originated in al-Andalus (Islamic Iberia).[5]

In 2010, the Orientalist Claudia Ott discovered the oldest known manuscript of the text, dated from 1234 or '35, which includes 85 nights.[1]

## Comparison with One Thousand and One Nights

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With the exception of the frame story of Scheherazade and the tales of "The Ebony Horse" and the "Seven Viziers", which are present in both One Thousand and One Nights and One Hundred and One Nights, the stories are different in the two works. However, their themes and narrative structure are very similar. Both have as their setting the immense Muslim world, and both sets of stories tell about intrepid travelers, epic and romantic adventures, and enigmas, desires, and wonders.[3] Scholars consider that the two story collections complement one other, and reading both allows a more complete appreciation of medieval Arabian folk literature.[2]

One Thousand and One Nights takes place primarily in the Eastern Arab world, while One Hundred and One Nights takes place in the Western Arab world.[5] Umayyad caliphs are repeatedly referenced throughout the collection. In fact, caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan and his three sons enjoy a similar status in the One Hundred and One Nights to that of the Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid in the One Thousand and One Nights. According to Claudia Ott, this is due to the historical role played by the Umayyads on the history of Andalusia, and the Emirate of Córdoba being considered the successor dynasty of the fallen caliphate of the Umayyads in Damascus.[6]

Of the two, One Hundred and One Nights is thought to be older although both of the texts have complicated histories and it is difficult to say for certain.[7]

## Translations

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Bruce Fudge's translation of the work into English

The book first emerged in the West in 1911, when the French Arabist Maurice Gaudefroy-Demombynes (1862–1957) published a French translation of four Maghrebi manuscripts.[4][8]

A translation of Ott's older manuscript into German was published in 2012.[9] The manuscript itself, as well as an English translation by Bruce Fudge, was published by the Library of Arabic Literature in 2016.[10]

## References

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1. ^ a b Ott, Claudia; Mudhoon, Loay (18 June 2010), Interview with Claudia Ott. A New Chapter in the History of Arab Literature, Qantara.de, retrieved 13 June 2013
2. ^ a b c "les Cent et Une Nuits (mi'at layla wa layla)", Encyclopédie Larousse (in French), retrieved 13 June 2013
3. ^ a b Cent et une nuits (in French), Arles: Actes Sud, 1998, p. 324, ISBN 978-2-7427-1762-0, archived from the original on 4 July 2014, retrieved 13 June 2013
4. ^ a b Perrin, Charles-Edmond (1957), "Éloge funèbre de M. Maurice Gaudefroy-Demombynes, membre libre résidant de l'Académie", Comptes rendus des séances de l'Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres (in French), 101 (3): 277, retrieved 13 June 2013
5. ^ a b Abou Bakr, Thoraia (12 February 2013), "A Hundred and One Nights translated into German", Daily News Egypt, retrieved 13 June 2013
6. ^ ‘Arabian Nights’ has a smaller sibling, Mai Elwakil, Egypt Independent, February 28, 2013
7. ^ Qualey, Marcia Lynx (October 11, 2016). "Part 2, an interview with Bruce Fudge: Who should read A Hundred and One Nights?". Bloomberg News. Retrieved January 29, 2025.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
8. ^ Gaudefroy-Demombynes, Maurice (trad.) (1911), Les cent et une nuits (first edition in French), E. Guilmoto, retrieved 13 June 2013
9. ^ Ott, Claudia (2012), 101 Nacht: Aus dem Arabischen erstmals ins Deutsche übertragen von Claudia Ott nach der Handschrift des Aga Khan Museums (in German), E-Books der Verlagsgruppe Random House GmbH, p. 336, ISBN 9783641100988
10. ^ Fudge, Bruce (2016). A Hundred and One Nights. New York University Press. ISBN 9780814745199.