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Lot Essay
The natural talent of al-Mutanabbi, heightened by his studious personality, resulted in a vast poetic output that varied in style and content throughout his career. His sojourns in Kufa, Baghdad and Syria were key factors in defining and developing his style and reputation. While his fame increased under the patronage of Amir Badr al-Kharshani in Damascus, it was within the court of Hamanid leader Sayf al-Dawla in Aleppo that al-Mutanabbi’s literary career took off.
During his lifetime, al-Mutanabbi gained both fame for his remarkable literary proficiency and notoriety given his inflated aspirations and defiant individuality (Larkin, 2008, p. xi). Nonetheless, he remained surrounded by devoted admirers who defended him against his critics. Over time, the extent of his literary influence came to outweigh the critique of his character and from the eleventh century, his name became synonymous for “great poet” (Blachère, 1993, pp, 769-772).
The title page of the present anthology states that the manuscript was commissioned for the enjoyment of Katib 'Alwan ibn 'Abd al-Nabi, an official scribe of the Egyptian Diwan.
During his lifetime, al-Mutanabbi gained both fame for his remarkable literary proficiency and notoriety given his inflated aspirations and defiant individuality (Larkin, 2008, p. xi). Nonetheless, he remained surrounded by devoted admirers who defended him against his critics. Over time, the extent of his literary influence came to outweigh the critique of his character and from the eleventh century, his name became synonymous for “great poet” (Blachère, 1993, pp, 769-772).
The title page of the present anthology states that the manuscript was commissioned for the enjoyment of Katib 'Alwan ibn 'Abd al-Nabi, an official scribe of the Egyptian Diwan.