The Long Arabian Nights

My father, my sister and I read the Chronicles of Narnia religiously, at least once a year. Every time we got to this quote about Aravis’ storytelling I wanted to get hold of Calormen stories. I supposed they didn’t exist in our world—wrong! The Arabian Nights is obviously the inspiration for Calormen storytelling, even Calormen itself. I read some of the famous stories piecemeal, but only recently sat down to enjoy them all.

If I was going to describe The Arabian Nights with one word it would be cerebral. The gentle and precise approach of these storytellers to their craft reminds me of miniature makers deceiving our mind into seeing a bed from a tin of anchovies. To make the implausible plausible they rely on carefully placed details that allow you to explore fantastic settings, characters and experiences as if they were the most natural thing in the world. Sometimes I wanted less of these details. When I suspend disbelief I like things to move along at a more sprightly pace, but when you consider the framing story of the storyteller’s imminent death you understand why things must go slow.

The stories are interesting. The moral content is generally present ranging from an appeal to Allah to collapse and ruin to those who cheat or steal. There is also an interesting look at this communities’ relationship with authority. While nothing speaks negatively of the ruling class directly, the men in charge are often shown to be self-centered, capricious and cruel. It makes me wonder how people of this time heard these stories, and what they mean today to people struggling under oppressive rulers.

Throw all of that out if you intend to read The Arabian Nights. Simply enjoy the wildly improbable stories that seem perfectly wonderful and natural. Let yourself let go of whatever else you may be thinking of. Read the stories one by one somewhere and some when you can relax. You’ll be hard pressed to choose a favorite.