A form of political writing often called advice literature shared by Christian and Muslim lands, during the Middle Ages, mirrors for princes attempted to elevate statecraft (dawla) to the same level as faith/religion (din). These guides for future rulers – Machiavelli’s The Prince being a widely-known if later example – addressed the delicate balance between seclusion and society, spirit and state, echoes of which we continue to find in the US, Europe and the Middle East several centuries later.
Mirrors for Princes brings together the writing of pre-eminent scholars and commentators using the genre of medieval advice literature as a starting point to discuss contemporary politics in Turkey, Indian television dramas, fate, fortune and governance, and advice for female nobility.
The volume includes illustrated essays by David Crowley, Manan Ahmed, Anna della Subin, Neguin Yavari and Lloyd Ridgeon, and an interview with Slavs and Tatars by Anthony Downey and Beatrix Ruf.
Mirrors for Princes, 2015, offset print, 25 × 20 cm, 192 pages, colour throughout, OTA binding, gloss-laminated dust jacket and softcover. Published by JRP|Ringier / NYU Abu Dhabi, edited by Anthony Downey. ISBN 9783037644072
