{"product_id":"ottoman-letters-and-poetry-at-the-bulaq-press","title":"An Ottoman secretary’s correspondence and poetry, printed at Būlāq","description":"\u003cp\u003eEbû Bekir Rifʿat Efendi of Crimea (born c. 1780\/81; probably died 1831\/32)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMünşeât ve Dîvân-ı Rifʿat Efendi\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBūlāq, Cairo: Maṭbaʿat Ṣāḥib al-Saʿāda al-Abadiyya, 1254 AH [1838].\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe edition comprises three separately paginated sections in one volume: 183, 52 and 25 pages. Ottoman Turkish, with Arabic and Persian quotations. Ornamental headpieces, framed prose and verse arranged in ruled compartments.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eQuarter leather over dark cloth-covered boards, with marbled endpapers.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRifʿat’s correspondence and verse bring together two closely related forms of Ottoman literary practice: the cultivated letter and the poem. The Münşeât contains letters addressed to, or received from, officials and scholars, including Esad Muhlis Pasha, for whom Rifʿat served as a secretary. Arabic and Persian verse woven into the letters makes visible the multilingual resources of this administrative and literary world.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBorn in Crimea and taken to Anatolia as a child, Rifʿat wrote of the insecurity of his earlier life and the transformation brought by official employment. His poetry ranges across devotional verse, chronograms and lyric forms; the separately arranged ghazals follow the traditional ordering by rhyme letter. This Cairo volume preserves both the social exchanges of a secretary and the literary ambitions of a poet.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOrnament, borders and divided verse carry manuscript practices into print, guiding readers between prose and poetry. Alongside technical instruction, Būlāq sustained an Ottoman literary repertoire: Cairo became a place where the linguistic and visual conventions of this learned world could be reproduced in print.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eCondition\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePaper browned and foxed, particularly in the margins, with creased corners and worn or split gutters. Dampstaining towards the end, with a conspicuous circular stain in the 25-page section.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eReferences\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUzun, Adnan. “Rif’at, Kırımlı Ebû Bekir Rif’at Efendi.” Türk Edebiyatı İsimler Sözlüğü, 2013. Updated 2020. \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/teis.yesevi.edu.tr\/madde-detay\/rifat-kirimli-ebu-bekir-rifat-efendi\"\u003eSource\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTürk Tarih Kurumu Kütüphanesi. “Münşeât-ı Rif’at Efendi; Dîvân-ı Rif’at Efendi; İbtidâ-i gazeliyyât.” Shelfmark A.II\/2283, record 545382. \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/kutuphane.ttk.gov.tr\/details?detailType=modal\u0026amp;id=545382\u0026amp;materialType=NE\"\u003eSource\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eArtem reference: 204.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Artem Rare Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55376438395223,"sku":"204","price":1900.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0601\/9248\/9647\/files\/204_20261002_163826_vrijstaand_rev2.png?v=1791946546","url":"https:\/\/artemrarebooks.com\/products\/ottoman-letters-and-poetry-at-the-bulaq-press","provider":"Artem Rare Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}