Delve into the intriguing world of the Arabian Nights as we retrace clues of the past. Arabists Paulo Lemos Horta and Robert Irwin take on a persistent and pernicious myth – that favourite stories in the Arabian Nights, including Aladdin and Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, are European inventions, added by translators. The real story of these ‘orphan’ stories is much more interesting, and stars a mysterious Syrian scholar, Hanna Diyab… Paulo Lemos Horta is the author of Marvellous Thieves, an account of the French and English translators of the Arabian Nights.Robert Irwin is a renowned scholar of Arabic literature who has written extensively on the Arabian Nights.This panel is moderated by Maán Jalal.Language: English with Arabic translation