One thousand and one nights : a sparkling retelling by Hanan al-Shaykh / Hanan al-Shaykh ; foreword by Mary Gaitskill.

Foreword -- Shahrayar and Shahrazad -- The fisherman and the jinni -- The porter and the three ladies -- The first dervish -- The second dervish -- The third dervish -- The first merchant -- The hunchback -- The mistress of the house's tale -- The doorkeeper's tale -- The shopper's tale -- The reaction of the caliph -- Dalila the wily -- The demon's wife -- The woman and her five lovers -- Budur and qamal al-zaman -- Zumurrud and Nur al-Din -- The fourth voyage of Sindbad the sailor -- The resolution of the porter and the three ladies.

An evocative reimagining of nineteen tales from the classic story about young queen Shahrazad's efforts to save her life from a brutal husband focuses on female characters at the heart of each tale in a woven sequence that incorporates humor and sensuality.