From one of the world's most acclaimed contemporary Arab writers: a sparkling, sexy new reimagining of nineteen mesmerizing tales from the beloved masterpiece.

The original tales of the One Thousand and One Nights were framed as stories told by the young queen Shahrazad to her murderous husband each night in order to save her life. Acclaimed Lebanese writer Hanan al-Shaykh has selected nineteen of the stories that focus primarily on the female characters at each story's heart. She has translated them into modern English and knitted them together into one cohesive narrative that is lush and evocative, rich with humor, and utterly captivating.

(With an introduction by Mary Gaitskill.)

Praise from the UK for One Thousand and One Nights:
 
“Al-Shaykh’s One Thousand and One Nights is a treasure-box of stories.”
 —The Independent (London)
 
“Magical. . . . Bursting with jinnis and mischief.”
—Donna Tartt, The Times (London)
 
“[F]or grown-ups interested in rediscovering the One Thousand and One Nights in all its bawdy, violent glory. It is captivating.”
—Daily Mail (London)
 
“[A]n uplifting read, precisely because [the stories] are so fantastical and transport the reader, by flying carpet, to lands filled with jinnis, princes and concubines, and also of people making contact across divides. Some of them are surprisingly erotic. Bedtime reading, for sure.”
—Time Out (London)
 
“Hanan Al-Shaykh’s vivid ‘reimagining’ of the One Thousand and One Nights is a treat and a trap for story lovers. Like a contemporary Shahrazad, Al-Shaykh has rendered nineteen little masterpieces into a wondrously warm, ribald and hilarious concoction, reminding us of how bang up to date these stories can be.”
—Hanif Kureishi, The Guardian (London)
 
“A brutal, bawdy, earthy and humorous narrative where the real world and the supernatural collide…. Al-Shaykh’s stories are no less beguiling than their name suggests.”
—Metro (London)