Listen to a sample
Tales of the Marvellous and News of the Strange
- Author
- Anonymous
- Narrator
- Taheen Modak
- Publisher
- Penguin Books Ltd
- Publish Date
- 1 April 2021
- Run Time
- 17 hours 50 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
What to expect
Brought to you by Penguin.
This Penguin Classic is performed by Taheen Modak, best known for The Bay and Two Weeks to Live. This definitive recording includes an introduction by Malcom Lyons.
On the shrouded corpse hung a tablet of green topaz with the inscription: 'I am Shaddad the Great. I conquered a thousand cities; a thousand white elephants were collected for me; I lived for a thousand years and my kingdom covered both east and west, but when death came to me nothing of all that I had gathered was of any avail. You who see me take heed: for Time is not to be trusted.'
Dating from at least a millennium ago, these are the earliest known Arabic short stories, surviving in a single, ragged manuscript in a library in Istanbul. Some found their way into The Arabian Nights but most have never been read in English before. Tales of the Marvellous and News of the Strange has monsters, lost princes, jewels beyond price, a princess turned into a gazelle, sword-wielding statues and shocking reversals of fortune.
© Robert Irwin 2014 (P) Penguin Audio 2021
Critics Review
-
Superb, a revelation - a real classic of popular literature . . . endlessly diverting and inventive, (giving) a unique insight into a now-lost elegant, courtly and tolerant Arab world
Sunday Times
-
Offers a gateway to a different world of language and ideas, florid, wildly descriptive and are a powerful reminder of the human need for story . . . irresistible
Independent
-
This book is an astonishment . . . a profound oddity, but an absolutely intriguing one
Scotland on Sunday
-
Instantly appealing (with) headlong narrative drive . . . like a Medieval Fifty Shades of Grey . . . above all, fun
Guardian
User Reviews
No reviews yet.
Details
- Author
- Anonymous
- Narrator
- Taheen Modak
- Duration
- 17 hours 50 minutes
- Release Date
- 1 April 2021
- ISBN
- 9780241441190
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Penguin Books Ltd
- Genre
- Traditional or cultural fiction and true stories, tales and retellings, Short stories
Synopsis
Brought to you by Penguin.This Penguin Classic is performed by Taheen Modak, best known for The Bay and Two Weeks to Live. This definitive recording includes an introduction by Malcom Lyons. On the shrouded corpse hung a tablet of green topaz with the inscription: 'I am Shaddad the Great. I conquered a thousand cities; a thousand white elephants were collected for me; I lived for a thousand years and my kingdom covered both east and west, but when death came to me nothing of all that I had gathered was of any avail. You who see me take heed: for Time is not to be trusted.'Dating from at least a millennium ago, these are the earliest known Arabic short stories, surviving in a single, ragged manuscript in a library in Istanbul. Some found their way into The Arabian Nights but most have never been read in English before. Tales of the Marvellous and News of the Strange has monsters, lost princes, jewels beyond price, a princess turned into a gazelle, sword-wielding statues and shocking reversals of fortune.© Robert Irwin 2014 (P) Penguin Audio 2021
About xigxag
xigxag is an independent, UK-based audiobook platform and the UK's only B Corp certified audiobook company. We offer nearly 150,000 audiobooks, all with professional human narration. No AI-generated voices. xigxag is rated an Ethical Consumer Best Buy for audiobooks and a top-rated ethical bookshop.
There is no subscription. You buy the audiobooks you want, you own them permanently, and prices start at $13.95. The more you listen over the year, the less you pay per book, and there is always a selection in Listen for Less from $7.95. You can also send audiobooks as gifts using our audiobook gift cards or in-app gifting.
Every audiobook on xigxag has honest reviews covering both the book and the narration, and our community features make it easy to share what you are listening to, discover what others recommend, and find your next listen.
Download or stream on iOS, Android, or in your browser. Browse the full catalogue at xigxag.co.uk.