The Shaving of Shagpat; an Arabian Entertainment — Volume 3
1856
The Shaving of Shagpat; an Arabian Entertainment — Volume 3
1856
George Meredith's 1856 fantasy is a wildly ambitious Orientalist romp in the Arabian Nights vein, but don't let the whimsical surface fool you. Shibli Bagarag, a Persian barber, is thrust into an extraordinary quest: shave the tyrant Shagpat, whose enchanted hair holds an entire city in thrall. Along the way he acquires a magic sword, encounters a talking hawk, battles genies, releases imprisoned princesses, and navigates a labyrinth of magical trials, all while his loyalty to the enchantress Noorna is tested. The narrative sprawls with stories within stories and poetic asides, mimicking its medieval models while remaining distinctly Victorian in its ironic distance. Beneath the spectacle lies something sharper: an allegory about tyranny, power, and the transformative courage required to confront both. It's a curious, uneven, ambitious work that helped plant seeds for modern fantasy, reissued by Ballantine in their Adult Fantasy series in 1970. For readers who enjoy their fairy tales with wit, political subtext, and a healthy distrust of heroes.
