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The 9th-century essayist, theologian and encyclopaedist Amr b. Bahr al-Jahiz has long been acknowledged as a master of early Arabic prose writing. Many of his most engaging writings were clearly intended for a broad readership but were presented as letters to individuals. Despite the importance and quantity of these letters, surprisingly little academic notice has been paid to them. Now, Thomas Hefter takes a new approach in interpreting some of al-Jahiz's 'epistolary monographs'. By focussing on the varying ways in which he wrote to the addressee, Hefter shows how al-Jahiz hid his conversations on the page in order to guide (or manipulate) his actual readers and encourage them to engage with his complex materials. Key Features * Looks at letters from one of the most unique minds of the Abbasid era that cover sectarian and ethnic rivalries, ethical questions, intoxicating beverages and daily life *Relates al-Jahiz's experiments with the letter frame to his views on occupations, human geography and other issues of his day *Examines the role of self-parody in al-Jahiz's fictional conversations with his addressees *Explores the rich interplay of contending voices

Books and reading --- Arabic literature --- LITERARY CRITICISM --- Arabic literature. --- Books and reading. --- Intellectual life. --- Technique. --- History and criticism --- African. --- Jāḥiẓ, --- Criticism and interpretation. --- 750-1258. --- Islamic Empire --- Islamic Empire. --- Literary criticism --- Appraisal of books --- Books --- Choice of books --- Evaluation of literature --- Literature --- Reading, Choice of --- Reading and books --- Reading habits --- Reading public --- Reading --- Reading interests --- Reading promotion --- History and criticism. --- Appraisal --- Evaluation --- Jāḥiẓ, --- Abou Othman Amr ibn Bahr al-Djahiz de Basra, --- Abu Osman Amr ibn Bakhr alʹ-Basri alʹ-Dzhakhiz, --- Abū ʻUthmān ʻAmr bin Baḥr al-Fuqaymī al-Baḥrī, --- Abū ʻUthman ʻAmr ibn Baḥr al-Jāḥiẓ, --- Cāḥiẓ, Ebū ʻOs̲mān ʻAmr bin Baḥr, --- Djâh̲iz̲, --- Dzhakhiz, --- Ebu Osman Amr bin Bahr bin Mahbub bin Fezâre, --- Ǧāḥiẓ, --- Jahidh, Amr ibn Bahr, --- Jāḥiẓ, Abū ʻUthman ibn Baḥr, --- Jāḥiẓ, ʻAmr ibn Baḥr, --- Ŷāḥiẓ, --- أبو عثمان عمرو بن بحر الجاحظ --- الجاحظ --- الجاحظ ، عمرو بن بحر --- الجاحظ، --- الجاهظ --- جاحظ --- جاحظ، --- جاحظ، عمرو بن بحر --- جاهظ --- حاحظ --- عثمان عمر و بن بحر --- عمرو بن بحر الجاحظ --- غازي