Arabic biography

This chapter examines the Arabic biographical tradition. The genre of biographical writing is a celebrated, multifaceted, and widely practised field of Arabic literature. Basic forms of biographical compilation can be shown from the first century of Islam (seventh century), initially orally transmitted and later in writing. The Arabic biographical tradition was mainly developed from within Islam, to which it owes its noticeable character. It probably originated from the earnest aspiration of generations following the initial period to preserve knowledge about the central figures of that era. For that reason, biographical transmission, initially, was a highly religion-orientated discipline. Nevertheless, or perhaps even due to this stimulus, there developed a huge field of different biographical genres and specialized life-writing

Alexander the Great in Medieval Literature

The extraordinary European diffusion of the stories of Alexander the Great's life from the eleventh to the fifteenth century testifies to an exceptional creative effervescence during this period. The evocation of the conqueror resonates with writers' own views on royal power, crusade ideology, scientific knowledge, and exploration, as well as their more exotic fantasies and literary aspirations. The appropriation of Alexander's prestige to promote new writings shaped European vernacular literature. Alexander the Great's posterity can therefore be explained both by the prestige he gave to works dedicated to his life and by his complexity and versatility. The fame of Alexander the Great in the medieval period spread far beyond Europe and, in the wake of Islam, reached as far as Mongolia, Malaysia, Ethiopia, and Mali. The Alexander tradition reached further parts of Asia, like Turfan and Southeast Asia