8vo. x, 266 pp., cloth in d/w, biblio, index, copy in very good condition, a presentation copy signed and dated by the author, previous owner’s signature verso back cover, Curzon Press, Richmond, first edition, 2001.

Synopsis

.”As the distinctive contribution of Islamic Spain to Arabic literature, the strophic muwashah and zajal are still viewed by some as a development from putative Romance prototypes. No less than seven theories of origin of the Provençal lyrics have been proffered, foremost among them being the Arabic origins theory. This book lets the strophic muwashshah tell its own tale of a natural development in the context of classical Arabic literature”.