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“Praise and diatribe of courtesans and ephebes,” by Al-Jahiz
June 04, 20187:00 p.m.
MADRID
Casa Árabe Auditorium (at Calle Alcalá, 62).
7:00 p.m.
Free entry until the event’s capacity is reached.
In Spanish.
Both mischievous and scholarly at the same time, the work provides a dialogue in which two speakers debate over sex.
Taking part in the book’s presentation will be Luis Antonio de Villena; Pedro Buendía, a translator and an author of this edition, and Ignacio Gutiérrez de Terán, the translator and an author of the edition. Presented by Pedro Martínez-Avial, the General Director of Casa Árabe.
“Praise and diatribe of courtesans and ephebes” is one of the most famous works by Al-Jahiz. It holds this status because of its brief, concise nature, as well as its equally mischievous and scholarly parts, so characteristic of this author. This conciseness and playfulness do not conceal, however, a great wealth of argumentation and notable complexity. It is a brief work in which two men conversing grow entangled in a debate over what is more pleasurable: whether abandoning oneself to lovemaking with young slave women or doing so with young ephebes; which choice entails greater advantages and disadvantages, and what characteristics define both options, whether from a sexual, emotional, social, reproductive, religious and even aesthetic perspective.”
From the Introduction by Pedro Buendía
and Ignacio Gutiérrez de Terán
Presentation information sheet
“Praise and diatribe of courtesans and ephebes” is one of the most famous works by Al-Jahiz. It holds this status because of its brief, concise nature, as well as its equally mischievous and scholarly parts, so characteristic of this author. This conciseness and playfulness do not conceal, however, a great wealth of argumentation and notable complexity. It is a brief work in which two men conversing grow entangled in a debate over what is more pleasurable: whether abandoning oneself to lovemaking with young slave women or doing so with young ephebes; which choice entails greater advantages and disadvantages, and what characteristics define both options, whether from a sexual, emotional, social, reproductive, religious and even aesthetic perspective.”
From the Introduction by Pedro Buendía
and Ignacio Gutiérrez de Terán
Al-Jahiz, “the man with the bulging eyes,” is one of the most important writers of prose in Arabic literature. Born in Basra on a date around the year of 776, his life transpired parallel to the great milestones in Abbasid cultural and political splendor, a fascinating and unique era.
Presentation information sheet
