Marvellous Thieves

“Marvellous Thieves, which draws on hitherto neglected sources, is a brilliant, fluent and original work of literary scholarship.”

“Now, with the publication of Paulo Horta’s Marvellous Thieves, the story becomes more complicated, even less edifying and much more interesting.”

“Horta makes a good case for the Frenchification of ‘Aladdin’ resulting from Diyab’s storytelling embroidery, rather than from the contribution of Galland (who was a scholarly dry old stick). Horta does not stop there.”

“Horta has done pioneering work both in tracing the links between Payne and the Rossettis and in highlighting the Pre-Raphaelite fascination with Oriental themes.”

“Horta, ever the observant detective …”

“This vivid, intellectually lively and revelatory book gives complex answers – and brilliant stories of literary sleuthing – to a couple of seemingly simple questions: who wrote Arabian Nights?”

“The real point about this clever book is that many of the things we think about modernity – let alone postmodernity – have already happened.”

“L’approche de Paulo Lemos Horta est extrêmement originale.”

Paulo Lemos Horta’s approach is extremely original.

“… toujours de façon convaincante et avec force arguments, montrant la formidable maitrise qu’a l’auteur de ce vaste corpus d’informations.”

… always convincingly and with a wealth of arguments, showing the author’s formidable command of this vast body of information.

“Ce formidable travail de démystification accompli par Lemos Horta peut s’appliquer à d’autres traductions de la période coloniale.”

This formidable work of demystification by Lemos Horta could be applied to other translations of the colonial period.

“Horta reaches the astonishing conclusion that Diyab was not simply a passing storyteller to Galland’s master translator, but a “crucial contributor to the networks of creativity” that brought the Arabian Nights into European culture.”

“Horta’s research is evidently meticulous and deep, providing a fuller picture at nearly every important juncture in the publication history of the Arabian Nights.”

“Horta, som är litteraturprofessor vid New York University i Abu Dhabi, komplicerar berättelsen och återupprättar Diab.”

Horta, a professor of literature at New York University Abu Dhabi, complicates the story and rehabilitates Diab.

“This work is a major contribution to the study of the complexities inherent in translating such a masterpiece.”

“This fine book … cogently probes an influential period in the knotted and at times sordid history of the “Arabian Nights.””

“In his debut book, a fascinating work of cultural and literary history …”

“In this enchanting work …”

“Evidently, as Horta pieces the strands together like a detective story, these were Diyab’s own creations.”

“Horta has given readers a highly enjoyable account of the story behind the Thousand and One Nights.”

“Paulo wrote a whole book about this—Marvellous Thieves: Secret Authors of the Arabian Nights—and he devotes a chapter to the idea that, rather than see Aladdin as Galland’s projected vision of the East, it’s more plausible to think of it as Diyab’s vision of France.”

“With that in mind, Horta believes that “Aladdin might be the young Arab Maronite from Aleppo, marveling at the jewels and riches of Versailles.” This idea is hugely significant in the history of the story.”