Leg over Leg recounts the life, from birth to middle age, of (3z(Bthe Fariyaq,(3y (Balter ego of Ahmad Faris al-Shidyaq, a pivotal figure in the intellectual and literary history of the modern Arab world. Leg over Leg recounts the life of "the Fåariyåaq," alter ego of Aòhmad Fåariis al-Shidyåaq, a pivotal figure in intellectual and literary history of the history of the modern Arab world. His edifying and hilarious adventures as he moves from his native Lebanon to Egypt, Malta, Tunis, England and France provide the author with gist for wide-ranging discussions about the social issues of his time, including freedom of conscience, woman's rights, sexual relationships, the manners of Europeans and Middle Easterners, and the differences between European and European literatures. The first half of the book spans the hapless Fåariyåaq's early education in Mount Lebanon, his contact with Protestant missionaries, and his experiences in the burgeoning Egypt of Muhammad 'Alåi. This new translation by Humphrey Davies makes this exuberant, word-obssed masterpiece accessible to English readers for the first time.

Volume 1 : Volumes One and Two -- Volume 2 : Volumes Three and Four.