There has been a lot of press lately about the group of lawyers in Egypt who want to ban the recently published "Heritage Series" reissue of the 1001 Nights and a lot of backlash too within Egypt.
I was recently interviewed by Hernan Restrepo at the Colombian National Radio station in Colombia about the incident.
Here is the article in Spanish: http://www.radionacionaldecolombia.gov.co/index.php/ultimas-noticias/internacionales/quieren-vetar-las-mil-y-una-noches-en-egipto.html
And here is the link to the mp3 (in Spanish and English):
http://www.radionacionaldecolombia.gov.co/images/stories/audios/cafeynoticias/may 19 michael lundell candidato a phd en literatura inglesa experto en las mil y una noches web.mp3
Ultimately here are my thoughts on the matter:
- the 1001 Nights is a lot more "risque" than most people think
- it shouldn't be banned but I would understand the sudden outrage over it by conservative types of any religion or political or cultural backgrounds (most people don't even know what's in the 1001 Nights and are always surprised when they find out)
Maybe we need Scheherazade to step in at this point to soothe everyone's nerves?
I suppose I can understand why someone might be surprised at how risqué the Nights is, but it still seems totally crazy to ban it. I mean, I'm sure that most Americans don't grasp how risqué Shakespeare is, but I would be similarly shocked if conservative evangelical Americans tried to ban his plays.
ReplyDeleteIsn't there a point at which a cultural treasure becomes immune to this kind of moral panic? I guess not ... of course nothing is immune to moral panic ... but my heart cries that there should be!