There are many myths about al-Andalus, including that of the convivencia, the utopian world of religious tolerance. In this beautiful, elegiac monograph, Elinson (Arabic, Hunter College) shows
the ways in which medieval Arab and Hebrew writers imagined the golden past of al-Andalus, even while they were living in it. Elinson blends the historical realities with the traditional
literary forms used to express a longing for a time and place that took on the aura of the Camelot in Northern visions of the ideal society. He indicates that, to the natives, al-Andalus was
seen as special in contrast to both the Christian world and the Islamic one of Baghdad and North Africa. In reading this sensitive study, one can enter into the feeling of wistful remembrance
embodied in the work of the authors who longed for a return to the shining, fleeting world of al-Andalus. The translations of the poetry are Elison's own, with the originals given in an
appendix. Annotation 穢2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
