One Thousand and One Scheherazades
One Thousand and One Nights is an inexhaustible source of stories, not stories of the great and powerful or of kings, but stories of ordinary people, of those who inhabit the streets. In this respect, One Thousand and One Nights differs from many of the works we consider literary treasures. One can surrender to its stories and become immersed in the narratives of people who have often had no voice in official history.
In this three-day workshop, we will first explore the origins and defining characteristics of One Thousand and One Nights: its history, its confrontation with established social morality, and its relationship to gender. We will then examine its frame narrative: the story of Scheherazade and Shahryar, and become acquainted with some of the book’s most significant tales.
Following this historical and analytical engagement, we will turn to writing and practical work. The aim of this part of the workshop is to reimagine One Thousand and One Nights in the contemporary world and through the voices of migrants. This reimagining will take place in an open and creative environment. Participants may choose a story and weave it together with their own narrative, or draw solely upon the narrative form of One Thousand and One Nights. The texts will then be revised over the following months and ultimately presented at a festival, either as performances or readings, depending on their narrative form.
No prior familiarity with One Thousand and One Nights is required to participate. If the fire of writing is alive within you, and you have the imagination and audacity to explore new experiences in reading, learning, and writing, you are warmly invited to join the One Thousand and One Scheherazades workshop.
