A brief introduction to Arabic erotic literature

Arabic literature is traditionally unrestrained in its depiction of all forms of eroticism, from sensuality and mundane obscenities to frivolous fantasies of paradise.

This body of literature not only entertains the reader, it also provides an intimate insight into Arabic culture at large, highlighting changing norms and tastes from pre-Islamic poetry to The Thousand and One Nights to the classical adab genre.

While many modern scholars, often shocked by the pornographic quality of Arabic literature, suppress parts of it, this brief introduction portrays the world of Arabic erotic literature in all its complexity, and introduces the reader to an aspect of life that contemporary Arab writers seek to recapture in a revival of libertine literature.