Sir Richard BurtonThe Arabian NightsThe Book of a Thousand Nights and a Night The tales of The Arabian Nights first became known in Europein the early 18th century through the French version by Antoine Galland, andwere translated into English soon after. John Payne’s 1882 edition gave thecomplete text, but it is Sir Richard Burton’s translation (1885-8) which offersthe most colorful and interesting version of this remarkable work, and which wehave used in this recording. Many English readers will be familiar with Andrew Lang’ssanitized edition for children, and it comes as quite a shock to encounter thebold relish with which Burton retells these tales of adventure, sexuality,violence and the supernatural. The stories have a varied provenance, derivingfrom Middle Eastern and Indian sources, and being collected together over manyhundreds of years, the earliest possibly dating back to the 8th century. It isperhaps worth noting that The Arabian Nights are not normally granted thestatus of classical Arabic literature: they have nevertheless exerted anextraordinary power over the Western imagination. The framework for the tales is the story of Scheherazade.King Shahryar has discovered the infidelity of his wife and, having had herbeheaded, he vows to wed a new wife every day, consummate the marriage, andslay her the next morning. After three years of this slaughter, Scheherazadeoffers herself as the next wife, but cleverly prevents her own death by keepingthe King spellbound night after night through the art of her storytelling —hence the 1001 Nights, after which the King relents and cancels his murderousvow. What makes the storytelling richer and more complex, however, is thesuccession of ‘tales within tales’ which Scheherazade relates: in thiscollection, for instance, the three Barber’s Tales all fall within the largersetting of The Hunchback’s Tale — which is itself imagined as being told to thegreat Harun al-Rashid, Caliph of Baghdad, in the 8th century. Further, the tales vary greatly in style and content —hardly surprising, given the way in which the collection grew over eightcenturies. The Barber’ s Tales, for instance, reveal a world of strict socialhierarchy and harsh mockery of those who aspire to a sexuality beyond theirsphere, while the stories of Sindbad’s voyages are full of supernatural terrors(monstrous birds and serpents), miraculous escapes and acts of ruthlessself-preservation (Sindbad clubbing to death the other wretched souls who areburied alive). Even that old favorite, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, is atale in which murderous and thieving ingenuity is rewarded by wealth untold.Clearly the moral world of The Arabian Nights is an uncomfortable one —notwithstanding the ostensible emphasis on pious Islamic values — yet thestories are told with a beguiling artistry that fascinates and compels thereader (or listener), especially in Sir Richard Burton’s definitive version. Sir Richard Burton (1821-90) was a remarkable man. Educatedat Trinity College, Oxford, he served in the army in India, studying orientallanguages and gaining an intimate knowledge of Muslim culture. He is supposedto have been the first white man to make the pilgrimage to Mecca — in disguise— and embarked on a further career as an explorer, discovering Lake Tanganyikain 1858. He was able to continue this as a diplomat serving in many locations.Later he devoted himself mainly to literature, publishing translations fromvarious languages. He was also, incidentally, something of an erotologist — aninterest revealed in the numerous foot notes he provides in his edition of TheBook of a Thousand Nights and a Night. Notes by Perry Keenlyside Philip Madoc Philip Madoc was born in Wales and, after studying languagesat university, and a period as an interpreter, turned to drama. His extensivetheater work has encompassed many principal Shakespearean roles, including Iagoand Antony as well as 19th and 20th century drama. His film and TV work isequally varied, including The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, the BBC TV’sFortunes of War and, most recently, his own detective series, A Mind To Kill. The Music The music on this cassette is taken from the NAXOS catalog RIMSKY-KORSAKOV SCHEHERAZADE 8.550726 Philharmonia Orchestra, London, Enrique Bátiz