Impostures

One of the Wall Street Journal''s Top 10 Books of the Year
Winner, 2020 Sheikh Zayed Book Award, Translation Category

Shortlist, 2021 National Translation Award
Finalist, 2021 PROSE Award, Literature Category

Fifty rogue¿s tales translated fifty ways
An itinerant con man. A gullible eyewitness narrator. Voices spanning continents and centuries. These elements come together in Impostures, a groundbreaking new translation of a celebrated work of Arabic literature.
Impostures follows the roguish Abu Zayd al-Saruji in his adventures around the medieval Middle East¿we encounter him impersonating a preacher, pretending to be blind, and lying to a judge. In every escapade he shows himself to be a brilliant and persuasive wordsmith, composing poetry, palindromes, and riddles on the spot. Award-winning translator Michael Cooperson transforms Arabic wordplay into English word