Library of Arabic Literature
An exciting project which is bringing a range of Arabic classics to English and modern Arabic readers in fresh, high-quality editions which strive for accessibility as well as accuracy.
The Library of Arabic Literature makes available Arabic editions and English translations of significant works of Arabic literature, with an emphasis on the seventh to nineteenth centuries. The Library of Arabic Literature thus includes texts from the pre-Islamic era to the cusp of the modern period, and encompasses a wide range of genres, including poetry, poetics, fiction, religion, philosophy, law, science, travel writing, history, and historiography.
Books in the series are edited and translated by internationally recognized scholars. They are published in parallel-text and English-only editions in both print and electronic formats. PDFs of Arabic editions are available for free download. The Library of Arabic Literature also publishes distinct scholarly editions with critical apparatus and a separate Arabic-only series aimed at young readers.
The Library encourages scholars to produce authoritative Arabic editions, accompanied by modern, lucid English translations, with the ultimate goal of introducing Arabic’s rich literary heritage to a general audience of readers as well as to scholars and students.
Award-winning author Philip Kennedy, Vice Provost for Public programming at the NYUAD Institute, General Editor of the Library of Arabic Literature, and Professor of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies and Comparative Literature, reads an excerpt from Consorts of The Caliph.
Contact Us
Philip Kennedy
Principal Investigator
Professor of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies and Comparative Literature
Email: philip.kennedy@nyu.edu