Marco Calil
Errors of Averroes
Logic, Poetry and Commentary
Marco Calil
Gerlach Press
Language:
1. Edition (2026-09)
Hardcover, 180 pages
HC ISBN 9783959942164
Availability: not yet published
95.00 € (excl. VAT)
> Table of Contents for this book (pdf)
This book discusses the Science of the Art of Poetry through Averroes’ Middle Commentary on Aristotle’s Poetics.
The author refutes the persistent claim that Averroes erred by equating the Arabic terms madīḥ (encomium) and hijā’ (invective) with Greek tragedy and comedy. Instead, in the wake of other authors and traditions, Averroes functionally integrated these terms into the logico-analytical system of Greek philosophy and the Arabic poetic repertoire.
Drawing on primary sources in Arabic poetry, poetics, and adab (belles-lettres), the study dispels the idea of inadequate correspondence and proves pre-modern Arabic poetic canons are far from trivial. Ultimately, it delivers a sophisticated new perspective on a classic academic debate.
The Author:
Marco Calil, University of São Paulo and Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo