NYUAD decodes Arabic texts

When was the last time you curled up in an armchair with classical Arabic poet Abu Nuwas? Chances are, unless you're a Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies major, you haven't.

But with a grant from NYU's Abu Dhabi Institute, NYUAD Institute faculty director Philip Kennedy hopes to broaden knowledge of classical and medieval literature among both scholars and amateurs.

"There is a great chasm of ignorance in the West about classical Arabic literature," Kennedy said. "Apart from 'The Arabian Nights,' few people, relatively speaking, have read or know anything about pre-modern Arabic literature."

Kennedy's project, the Library of Arabic Literature, will feature a vast, growing collection of Arabic texts in translation. The translations will feature side-by-side scripts of modern Arabic and English on facing pages.

Because the language of classic Arabic literature is often archaic and technical, Kennedy said the translations will help native Arabic speakers as well.

Each text will be edited by experts in pre-modern Arabic in Abu Dhabi and New York. To ensure that nothing is lost in translation, multiple meetings will be held to ensure the texts in both languages are accurate and little is lost.

"It is essential that the translations in this series be accurate and accessible, but both at an equal premium," Kennedy said.

Middle Eastern and Islamic studies associate professor Mona Mikhail said she thinks Kennedy's project will be a welcome addition. She also emphasizes the importance and difficulty of translating Arabic texts.

"Translation, especially of poetry, is an arduous task," Mikhail said. "It involves not only a thorough knowledge of the original language and the target language, but also being very well-versed in the culture and history of the target language, in this case Arabic. A lot will depend, hence, on the quality of the translations and translators."

Kennedy compared his project to Harvard's Loeb Classical Library of Greek and Latin literature, which has become an essential resource.

"There is, to put it mildly, a lot of catching up to do in the field of classical Arabic literature," Kennedy said. "It is without question one of the richest literary traditions in the world, yet remarkably little known."

Prerana Swami is a deputy university editor.