Abu Hayyan al-Tawhidi

…later generations one prominent figure, Abū Ḥayyān al-Tawḥīdī, whose turbulent life is an apt reflection of the vicissitudes of court patronage during the 10th and 11th centuries, provides another example of virtuosic prose and breadth of interest. His extreme self-criticism led him to destroy some of his writings, but his…

…prose style was achieved by Abū Ḥayyān al-Tawḥīdī (died 1023), who portrayed the weaknesses of the two leading viziers, both notorious for their literary ambitions, “…with such bitterness,” as Gibb remarks, “that the book was reputed to bring misfortune upon all who possessed a copy.” This work, like others by…