The Adventures of Amir Hamza: Special abridged edition

by Ghalib Lakhnavi, Abdullah Bilgrami, Musharraf Ali Farooqi (Translator)

Here is the first unabridged English translation of a major Indo-Persian a panoramic tale of magic and passion, a classic hero’s odyssey that has captivated much of the world. It is the spellbinding story of Amir Hamza, the adventurer who in the service of the Persian emperor defeats many enemies, loves many women, and converts hundreds of infidels to the True Faith before finding his way back to his first love. In Musharraf Ali Farooqi’s faithful rendition, this masterwork is captured with all its colorful action and fantastic elements intact. Appreciated as the seminal Islamic epic or enjoyed as a sweeping tale as rich and inventive as Homer’s epic sagas, The Adventures of Amir Hamza is a true literary treasure. Praise for The Adventures of Amir Hamza: “The Iliad and Odyssey of medieval Persia, a rollicking, magic-filled heroic saga... in an interpretation so fluent that it is a pleasure to sit down and lose oneself in it.” –The New York Times Book Review “A marvelous dovetailing of fantasy, history and religion . . . This sensitive new translation by Musharraf Ali Farooqi is filled with lyrical resonance. . . . [Readers] will love losing themselves in this complex yet ancient world of the imagination.” –The Washington Post Book World “It’s hard to think of an epic more dazzlingly splendid . . . Farooqi has given world literature a gift.” –Time “With prose as embroidered as the tales themselves, the book should be savored under the covers like a secret lover.” –The Austin Chronicle “[A] revelatory translation of a masterpiece of world literature . . . unequivocally an amazing piece of publishing history.” –The Buffalo News

Genres: Fiction, Classics

567 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1855

Reviews

[Gavin White · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rollicking tale of magical adventures that got way too formulaic towards the end.
It started off well and even had some funny moments. By halfway through you start to realise that the stories are repeating themselves. The best bits were about the various Jinn (or Devs), the magical enchantments they construct and their varied relationships they have with mankind. Even though the translator has done a commendable job this abridged version suffers from some inconsistencies and some characters who seem to come out of nowhere.
This book shares much of the cultural background of the Shahnama (the national epic of Persia) and the Arabian Nights. For me, it was better than the Arabian Nights but not so good as the Shahnama.

[Ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read Daastaan-e-Ameer Hamza in Urdu when I was a kid and the stories mesmerized me with the make believe world of Jinns, Devs, and Peris. So, I was naturally excited delving into the English translation after almost 20 years. But time seems to have taken the sheen off the once dazzling 'Tilism-e-Hoshruba'. After the second book, most of the stories seem unimaginative and written to a standard template. The book gets repetitive to a fault towards the end and I had a hard time making myself finish it. Musharraf Ali Farooqi, however, gets full marks for the excellent translation that kept the flair and flow of the original urdu cum persian narrative.

[KitaabWorld.com · Rating 5 out of 5]

This panoramic saga dates back perhaps as early as the seventh century, when oral narratives of the deeds of the prophet Muhammad's uncle Amir Hamza spread through Arabia, Persia, and the Indian subcontinent, expanding into a chronicle of warriors, kings, tricksters, fairies, courtesans, and magical creatures.

Here is a special abridged English translation of a major Indo-Persian epic: a panoramic tale of magic and passion, a classic hero's odyssey that has captivated much of the world. It is the spellbinding story of Amir Hamza, the adventurer who in the service of the Persian emperor defeats many enemies, loves many women, and converts hundreds of infidels to the True Faith before finding his way back to his first love.

In Musharraf Ali Farooqi's remarkable abridged rendition, this masterwork is captured with all its colorful action and fantastic elements intact. Appreciated as the seminal Islamic epic or enjoyed as a sweeping tale as rich and inventive as Homer's epic sagas, "The Adventures of Amir Hamza" is a true literary treasure.

See other books in our Folktales from Islamic Traditions booklist here:
https://kitaabworld.com/blogs/news/fo...

[Baazil Niazi · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book started off very interesting and was quite unique in the way the story was told, however as the book goes on it becomes very repetitive and isn't as engaging as it was at the start. The storyline itself can become quite confusing as sometimes it seems like certain characters appear or disappear out of nowhere and certain events happen with no context as to why it’s happening. Despite this, the majority of the storyline does flow and most of it is understandable. It's just a few loopholes in the storyline that let it down. The book itself is actually quite educational about early events in Islam and the roles and influence of the Persian empire in the early years of modern civilisation. This book is one where all different types of people with all different types of interests can read it and find at least one thing they love about it. All in all, the book is good, but nowhere near perfect. It can go from very interesting to very boring and confusing in less than a page. New characters are either introduced to the book in a very unique and creative way, or they seem to appear very randomly and leave loopholes in the storyline.

[Shubhra · Rating 1 out of 5]

One feels like slicing the book into two like a cucumber and dispatching it to hell – a line which seems to be on every second page of the book. A long and not interesting read. While the translation is great, there is something about the stories which doesn’t add up to anything much. The book is like a collection of fairy tales involving the same people, descriptions of events after events - all much the same. The writing is not gripping, it is difficult to read the archaic. And worst, the stories do not capture the imagination, do not delight or shock. There are parts which are honestly repulsive and tedious – mostly involving the attitude towards women. With our short attention spans and limited time, it takes a heroic effort to get through the book. I always assumed that books or stories become classics because they have depth, a connection to some inherent issues which survive the centuries, but that isn’t the case here. Unless you have some historical or academic interest in examining this, it isn’t worth a read.

[Rajiv Chopra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a glorious tale, and if you want to go on a romp through a magical world, then this is the place to start.

Set in the early times of Islam. it does indeed also talk oh how Amir Hamza, the uncle of Muhammed, through his adventures, helped to spread Islam. If you ignore this aspect and focus on the utterly magical tale of adventure, magic, loyalty, devs, fairies, love, then you are set for a magical ride.

The translation of this edition is magnificent.

I did read the unabridged version!

[Aliya Noor · Rating 5 out of 5]

childhood memories revived

[Muhammad Khalid · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent read for those who love tales about jinns, magic and exotic places.

[Joseph F. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although described as a Persian epic, this abridged version is actually from the Urdu version. Apparently this is a popular story throughout the Muslim world. It may be abridged, but it is still quite a read at almost 500 pages. Trust me, I liked it, but I'm really not interested in reading the full account. Amir Hamza is a hero who is in the service of the Persian emperor. (Or the emperor of some really big place). He himself is from Mecca, and a Muslim; a follower of the "true faith." (the quotes are mine). For whatever reason, the empire he serves is one of infidels, or fire worshippers. As many of these epics go, there is a big falling out between Amir and the emperor because the emperor is an idiot and listens to bad advice. This leads to a very long (I mean looooong), standoff between Amir and the infidels throughout much of the book.
With his enormous strength and his great shout of "God is Great" Amir annihilates his enemies easily. He gives them the "choice" often to convert to Islam or die. If they convert, they become his friend and servant. Therefore, enemies quickly become friends; after many people have tragically died of course. Amir is therefore a witness to his faith; a savior of souls who moves from camp to camp and adversary to adversary. I did not get the feeling that he literally ruled anything, other than nominally.
As Amir goes about destroying enemies and making friends, he meets and marries many women. And since this is a medieval epic, expect a good deal of pining and swooning.
There is a break with his battles with the evil empire when Amir leaves the mundane behind and enters the world of the jinn to do battle with all kinds of nasty devs (demons). While doing so he marries a powerful fairy woman, and like Calypso and Odysseus, she keeps him from returning to humankind even after he begs and begs. This is a fun departure, but it too goes on and on and on.
Basically this is not a bad story, but a tad repetitive. The blurb on the cover states that this epic is to medieval Persia what the Iliad and Odyssey is to Greece.
HA!
That honor goes to The Shahnameh, or King Book, by Firdausi. This is THE epic of Persia, comparable to Homer, and makes Amir Hamza look like a pile of pooh.
The translation reads nicely, but some areas feel a bit rushed. This is abridged btw.