The Fables of Kalilah and Dimnah – Saleh Sa’adeh Jallad

The Fables of Kalilah and Dimnah Translated from the Arabic by Saleh Sa'adeh Jallad

The Fables of Kalilah and Dimnah were written in Arabic by Ibn al-Muqaffac in the middle of the eighth century AD. The tales were originally Sanskrit and then translated into Middle Persian.

The work of Ibn al-Muqaffac quickly achieved a popularity which has been maintained until the present day and his style has become one of the benchmarks of classical Arabic literature. Such was the popularity of the tales that they were translated and transposed into many different languages and later became a source of inspiration for European writers such as La Fontaine.

Saleh Sacadeh Jallad explains in his Foreword how the political and intellectual environment of the original composition is reflected in the fables, which echo one of the perennial themes of human intellectual endeavour-the potential conflict between faith and reason.

The fables reveal through their human and animal characters universal aspects of human wisdom and behaviour which have an enduring appeal.

This is a completely new English translation of Kalilah wa Dimnah which presents to an ever-widening audience these delightful and significant stories.

Language: English
ISBN:  9781901764147
2002, hardcover, 247 pages, approx. 21.5 x 13.5 cm