Skip to content

purple motes

a journal of whimsy and hope

  • subscribe by email
  • follow on Twitter
  • topic index
  • about Douglas Galbi
  • terms of use / disclaimer

Highlights

  • most recent articles
  • incarcerating child support debtors
  • Wednesday's flowers
  • Aristotle's advice to Alexander
  • unjust paternity establishment
  • Gog & Magog behind wall
  • Dhuoda's Liber Manualis
  • Charlie Chaplin & Joan Berry

al-Jahiz

Abū ʿUthman ʿAmr ibn Baḥr al-Kinānī al-Baṣrī, known by his nickname al-Jahiz, was a ninth-century Arabic scholar who wrote learned and witty prose. Born in Basra, he spent most of his life in Baghdad. He was a leading light in the cosmopolitan society of the Abbasid caliphate.

Luxorius: sixth-century African poet against dinner invitations

In a comical reversal, the host Blumarit’s extravagant hospitality pushed the poet Luxorius toward starvation. … Read the post Luxorius: sixth-century African poet against dinner invitations

absurd others: al-Jahiz declares laughing alone safer

Eating colostrum and dates with al-Naqqāsh at his table, al-Jahiz was alone and laughed alone. His experience of absurdity is highly relevant today. … Read the post absurd others: al-Jahiz declares laughing alone safer

al-Jahiz on miser thwarting kid’s pissing ploy for eating dates

Al-Jahiz gave a miser’s response to a kid’s pissing ploy perverse force of reason. Classical Arabic literature accepted outrageous texts. … Read the post al-Jahiz on miser thwarting kid’s pissing ploy for eating dates

misers’ complex, demanding struggles in classical Arabic literature

Just three sentences from al-Jahiz’s book on misers offer much more meaning than subsequent writing about misers has been able to provide. … Read the post misers’ complex, demanding struggles in classical Arabic literature

al-Jahiz’s misers offer rich framework for reading Athenaeus’s banqueters

Al-Jahiz’s readers appreciated literary works like Athenaeus’ Learned Banqueters. Cultural heritage conflicted the Roman Empire like the Abbasid Caliphate. … Read the post al-Jahiz’s misers offer rich framework for reading Athenaeus’s banqueters

al-Jahiz shows alternative to Ziolkowski’s magnanimity

Al-Jahiz blamed others for any errors in his book On Misers. Ziolkowski exonerated others for any errors in his book Solomon and Marcolf. … Read the post al-Jahiz shows alternative to Ziolkowski’s magnanimity

COB-91: how to deal with a fly on your nose

Bureaucrats should adopt BMING’s standard recommended protocol for what to do when a fly lands on your nose. … Read the post COB-91: how to deal with a fly on your nose

al-Jahiz the litterateur versus Yūhannā ibn Māsawayhi the physician

Al-Jahiz the litterateur deployed linguistic logic. Yūhannā ibn Māsawayhi the physician advocated test and observation. The latter triumphed. … Read the post al-Jahiz the litterateur versus Yūhannā ibn Māsawayhi the physician

Nahid in the Shahnameh: bad breath makes world history

In the Shahnameh, Nahid’s bad breath brings Alexander the Great to Greece. Al-Jahiz’s claim that Persian men have sex with women with bad breath is undone. … Read the post Nahid in the Shahnameh: bad breath makes world history

al-Jahiz on "substantial non-infringing uses" in ninth-century Baghdad

Al-Jahiz made a legal argument analogous to “substantial non-infringing uses” in discussing the legality of alcoholic drinks under Islamic law. … Read the post al-Jahiz on "substantial non-infringing uses" in ninth-century Baghdad

Posts navigation

Page 1 Page 2 Next page