PIMSPontifical Institute
of
Mediaeval Studies

In his verses, Abu Nuwas boasts of his drunken orgies, while his contemporary Abu I-Atahiyah begs his audience to remember death and the afterlife. This talk looks at what happened when each poet tried living out his ideal in the real world.

Michael Cooperson teaches Arabic language and literature at UCLA. He works on the cultural theory of the early Abbasid caliphate, time travel as a literary device, and Maltese language and culture. His most recent monograph is Al Ma 'mūn, a biography of the Caliph. His most recent translation is Ibn al-Jawzī's Virtues of the Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, for the Library of Arabic Literature.

This event is free and open to all. For further information, please contact Kim Yates, Associate Director at the Jackman Humanities Institute, at (416) 946-0313.