The Pillar Regarding Creation and Critique of Poetry

12947

Download PDF (77 MB)

The record is made up of 251 items. It was created in 1907. It was written in Arabic. The original is part of the Qatar National Library.

About this record

Content

This book is a printed edition of Al-‘Umdah fi Sina’at al-Shi’r wa-Naqdih (The pillar regarding creation and critique of poetry), a foundational text of Arabic literary criticism. The author, Ibn Rashīq al-Qayrawānī, covers poetic history and prosody up to his lifetime in 11th century Qayrawān, the center of intellectual life in Tunisia, then called Al-Ifriqiya. The work is universally known as Ibn Rashiq’s Al-‘Umdah (The pillar). It is also cited as Al-‘Umdah fī maḥāsin al-shiʻr wa-ādābih. Scholarly judgment of Al-‘Umdah holds that although it is not a groundbreaking theoretical work, it is a major reference for and compendium of the religious, social, and stylistic debates regarding poetry from the earliest days of Islam. This edition is in two volumes, “corrected” (i.e., edited) by Muhammad Badr al-Din al-Na’sani al-Halabi. Publication of the work was financed by Muhammad Kamal al-Na’sani and Muhammad ‘Abd al-‘Aziz. It was printed at al-Sa’adah Press in Cairo and distributed from the al-Khanji bookstore. These individuals and organizations were all part of the well-developed printing and publishing trade in early-20th century Cairo. The same editing and publishing team cooperated to bring other classical literary works into print. A biography of Ibn Rashīq (believed by some to have been born in the town of Muhammadiyah where his father was a goldsmith) appears as front matter. A picture of Ibn Rashīq appears on the Tunisian 50 dinar banknote.

Extent and format
251 items
Physical characteristics

2 volumes ; 25 centimeters

Written in
Arabic in Arabic script
Type
Book

Archive information for this record

Access & Reference

Original held at
Qatar National Library
Access conditions

Unrestricted

Archive reference
12947

History of this record

Date(s)
1907 (CE, Gregorian)

Use and share this record

Share this record
Cite this record in your research

The Pillar Regarding Creation and Critique of Poetry, Qatar National Library, 12947, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/qnlhc/12947> [accessed 28 March 2024]

Link to this record
IIIF details

This record has a IIIF manifest available as follows. If you have a compatible viewer you can drag the icon to load it.https://www.qdl.qa/en/iiif/qnlhc/12947/manifestOpen in Universal viewerOpen in Mirador viewerMore options for embedding images

Related Articles