The Epistle of ForgivenessOne of the most unusual books in classical Arabic literature, The Epistle of Forgiveness is the lengthy reply by the prolific Syrian poet and prose writer, Abu l 'Ala' al Ma'arri (d. 449 1057), to a letter by an obscure grammarian, Ibn al Qarih. With biting irony, The Epistle of Forgiveness mocks Ibn al Qarihs hypocrisy and sycophancy by imagining he has died and arrived with some difficulty in Heaven, where he meets famous poets and philologists from