Historical Sciences Studies

Textual Historicization in Literary Works A Case Study: The Book of Kalila wa-Dimna

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Mohammad Reza Haji Aghababaei

Associate Professor of Persian Language and Literature, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22059/jhss.2025.397184.473820
Abstract
One of the significant topics in historical and literary studies is the examination of the relationship between literary texts and historical events. From this perspective, a literary text can be considered a document that, alongside other records, may be analyzed by researchers. This article explores the notion that, at times, a literary text produces a narrative that others later cite and perceive as a historical account. The book Kalila wa-Dimna is one of the most distinguished works in Persian literature. According to the narrative by Ibn al-Muqaffaʿ in his translation of the book—told through the voice of Borzūya the physician—a narrative is created that others have considered historical and continue to reference to this day, even though the account provided by Ibn al-Muqaffaʿ regarding the book's origin does not align with historical evidence. Apparently, Ibn al-Muqaffaʿ fabricated a historical context in order to express his religious ideas, inventing the character of Borzūya the physician and attributing his own thoughts to him. In later periods, other writers also referenced Ibn al-Muqaffaʿ’s statements, gradually transforming Borzūya into a historical figure. This article, through an analysis of Ibn al-Muqaffaʿ’s preface as well as the chapter on Borzūya the physician from Kalila and Dimna, illustrates how researchers have come to accept Ibn al-Muqaffaʿ’s accounts as historical evidence.

Keywords

Historical narrative
literary narrative
Kalila and Dimna
the chapter of Borzūya the Physician
Ibn al-Muqaffaʿ
Subjects
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