Sirat Antara -- the Manuscript from the University Library in Wroclaw, Poland: One of the Longest Literary Compositions of Medieval Arabic Literature

This is a translation of the "Sirat Antara", an eighteenth-century Arabic romance, which is newly discovered at Wroclaw University Library. The "Sirat Antara" was an eighteenth century manuscript discovered by Anna Nawolska in the Manuscripts Department of Wroclaw University, Poland, which Nawolska translated from Arabic into English. Anatara Ibn Shaddad al-Absi was a sixth century pre-Islamic poet, knight, and hero. The "Sirat Antara" is the fifth incomplete volume of the chivalric epic that details the heroic deeds of Anatara Ibn Shaddad al-Absi. Not only does Nawolska provide a translation of the manuscript, but she also presents a history of the "Sirat Antara" and the genesis of Arabic chivalric epic. This book will appeal not only to Arabists and Orientalists but also to historians, political scientists, anthropologists, art historians, and sociologists.