Proximity, Resemblance, Sidebars and Clusters: Ibn al-Nadīm’s Organizational Principles in Fihrist 3.3

Abstract The Kitāb al-Fihrist of Ibn al-Nadīm (d. 380/990), one of the most important bio-bibliographical works in Arabic, is an invaluable source for the study of the first four centuries of Arabic writerly culture and of medieval Islamicate history. Ibn al-Nadīm divides his work into 10 parts (and...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Oriens
Main Author: Toorawa, Shawkat M. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Brill 2010
In: Oriens
Further subjects:B singers
B Ibn Abī āhir
B writerly culture
B biographical work
B Adab
B Ibn al-Nadīm; Fihrist
Online Access: Volltext (JSTOR)
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Summary:Abstract The Kitāb al-Fihrist of Ibn al-Nadīm (d. 380/990), one of the most important bio-bibliographical works in Arabic, is an invaluable source for the study of the first four centuries of Arabic writerly culture and of medieval Islamicate history. Ibn al-Nadīm divides his work into 10 parts (and 30 chapters), organised according to different fields of knowledge and scholarship. He also subdivides the notices, entries and titles very deliberately, typically chronologically. Here, I describe another organisational phenomenon discernible in the third chapter of the third part of the Fihrist, namely organization based on notions I term ‘proximity’ and ‘resemblance’, which yield ‘sidebars’ and ‘clusters.’ This organisation yields valuable information about the writerly culture of the 3rd/8th, 4th/9th and 5th/10th centuries.
ISSN:1877-8372
Contains:Enthalten in: Oriens
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1163/187783710X536725