Ḥikāyat Abu al-Qāsim, probably written in the 11th century by the otherwise unknown al-Azdī, tells the story of a gate-crasher from Baghdad named Abū al-Qāsim, who shows up uninvited at a party in Isfahan. Dressed as a holy man and reciting religious poetry, he soon relaxes his demeanour, and, growing intoxicated on wine, insults the other dinner guests and their Iranian hometown.
Widely hailed as a narrative...