Sir Richard Francis Burton (1821-1890) was a gifted linguist, a
daring explorer, a prolific author, and one of the most flamboyant
celebrities of his day. Forced to leave Oxford for unruly behavior,
he joined the British Army in India, where he gained a remarkable
knowledge of Arabic, Hindustani, and Persian, eventually acquiring
twenty-nine languages and many dialects. He led the famed
expedition to discover the source of the Nile and, disguised as a
Muslim, made a pilgrimage to the city of Mecca, then forbidden to
non-Muslims, and penetrated the sacred city of Harare in uncharted
East Africa. Burton translated unexpurgated versions of many famous
texts including the Kama Sutra (1883) and Arabian Nights (1885-88),
which is perhaps his most celebrated achievement.
Daniel Beaumont is an associate professor of Arabic language and
literature at the University of Rochester and the author of Slave
of Desire, a critical study of the Arabian Nights. He is also a
teacher and scholar of the blues.
Jack Zipes is a professor of German at the University of Minnesota.
The author of several books on fairy tales, including Don't Bet on
the Prince, Fairy Tales and the Art of Subversion, and Breaking the
Magic Spell, he is the editor and translator of The Complete Tales
of the Brothers Grimm and the editor of Signet Classics's The
Complete Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde.
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