Khaled: A Tale of Arabia
Encyclopedia
Khaled: A Tale of Arabia is a fantasy
novel
by F. Marion Crawford
. It was first published in hardcover by Macmillan and Co.
in 1891. Its importance in the history of fantasy literature was recognized by its reissuing by Ballantine Books
as the thirty-ninth volume of the celebrated Ballantine Adult Fantasy series
in December, 1971. The Ballantine edition includes an introduction by Lin Carter
.
The novel is an oriental romance written in the style of the Arabian Nights
.
, a true believer working industriously in the service of Allah
. So industriously in fact that he rather oversteps the mark and causes the demise of a certain non-believer, and as a result, is condemned to being human for a while. In the company of a superlatively gorgeous princess, of course.
"She, However, in her own gentle, obedient and docile way (she is after all a true Arabian wife) is as stubborn as a mule..."
Khaled has no soul - but he is offered one chance: if his wife comes to love him, despite his lack of a soul, he will become fully human.
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by F. Marion Crawford
Francis Marion Crawford
Francis Marion Crawford was an American writer noted for his many novels, especially those set in Italy, and for his classic weird and fantastic stories.-Life:...
. It was first published in hardcover by Macmillan and Co.
Macmillan Publishers
Macmillan Publishers Ltd, also known as The Macmillan Group, is a privately held international publishing company owned by Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group. It has offices in 41 countries worldwide and operates in more than thirty others.-History:...
in 1891. Its importance in the history of fantasy literature was recognized by its reissuing by Ballantine Books
Ballantine Books
Ballantine Books is a major book publisher located in the United States, founded in 1952 by Ian Ballantine with his wife, Betty Ballantine. It was acquired by Random House in 1973, which in turn was acquired by Bertelsmann AG in 1998 and remains part of that company today. Ballantine's logo is a...
as the thirty-ninth volume of the celebrated Ballantine Adult Fantasy series
Ballantine Adult Fantasy series
The Ballantine Adult Fantasy series was an imprint of Ballantine Books. Launched in 1969 , the series reissued a number of works of fantasy literature, which were out of print or dispersed in back issues of pulp magazines , in cheap paperback form—including works...
in December, 1971. The Ballantine edition includes an introduction by Lin Carter
Lin Carter
Linwood Vrooman Carter was an American author of science fiction and fantasy, as well as an editor and critic. He usually wrote as Lin Carter; known pseudonyms include H. P. Lowcraft and Grail Undwin.-Life:Carter was born in St. Petersburg, Florida...
.
The novel is an oriental romance written in the style of the Arabian Nights
The Book of One Thousand and One Nights
One Thousand and One Nights is a collection of Middle Eastern and South Asian stories and folk tales compiled in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age...
.
Plot summary
From the cover blurb of the Ballantine edition: "Khaled is a hardworking, conscientious djinnGenie
Jinn or genies are supernatural creatures in Arab folklore and Islamic teachings that occupy a parallel world to that of mankind. Together, jinn, humans and angels make up the three sentient creations of Allah. Religious sources say barely anything about them; however, the Qur'an mentions that...
, a true believer working industriously in the service of Allah
Allah
Allah is a word for God used in the context of Islam. In Arabic, the word means simply "God". It is used primarily by Muslims and Bahá'ís, and often, albeit not exclusively, used by Arabic-speaking Eastern Catholic Christians, Maltese Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Mizrahi Jews and...
. So industriously in fact that he rather oversteps the mark and causes the demise of a certain non-believer, and as a result, is condemned to being human for a while. In the company of a superlatively gorgeous princess, of course.
"She, However, in her own gentle, obedient and docile way (she is after all a true Arabian wife) is as stubborn as a mule..."
Khaled has no soul - but he is offered one chance: if his wife comes to love him, despite his lack of a soul, he will become fully human.