Antoine Galland’s French translation of the *Thousand and One Nights* appeared in 1704. One year later a pirate edition was printed in The Hague, followed by many others. Galland entertained a lively correspondence on the subject with the Dutch intellectual and statesman Gisbert Cuper (1644-1716). Dutch orientalists privately owned editions of the *Nights* and discreetly collected manuscripts of Arabic fairy tales. In 1719 the *Nights* were first retranslated into Dutch by the wealthy Amsterdam silk merchant and financier Gilbert de Flines (Amsterdam 1690-London 1739). *The* Thousand and One Nights *and Orientalism in the Dutch Republic, 1700-1800: Antoine Galland, Ghisbert Cuper and Gilbert de Flines* explores not only the trail of the French and Dutch editions from the eighteenth century Dutch Republic and the role of the printers and illustrators, but also the mixed sentiments of embarrassment and appreciation, and the overall literary impact of the *Nights* on a Protestant nation in a century when French cultural influence ruled supreme.
- Cover
- Table of Contents
- Introduction
- 1. The Thousand and one nights and literary Orientalism in Europe
- 2. Dutch Orientalism before 1700
- Orientalism, trade and culture
- Literary pursuits
- Translations of Arabic literature
- 3. Antoine Galland and Ghisbert Cuper
- 4. The early editions of the Nights
- The Husson editions
- Illustrations
- Lucien Bonaparte, Prince of Canino
- To England
- Wetstein & fils, 1768
- ‘A Amsterdam, et se trouve à Paris’
- The Dutch Version of the Nights
- 5. Gilbert de Flines
- 6. Later editions in the eighteenth century
- The Nights in the Southern Netherlands
- The Leap to Asia
- 7. Dutch Orientalism in the eighteenth century
- Literature
- Johannes Nomsz
- Criticism
- Conclusion
- Appendix 1
- Appendix 2
- Appendix 3
- Appendix 4
- Illustration credits
- Bibliography
- Index