Eloquent Tyrant

In The Eloquent Tyrant, Pamela Klasova presents a cultural history of speech in the early Islamic empire, examining the relationship between the spoken word and power through the oratorical practice of the powerful governor of Iraq, al-ajjj b. Ysuf al-Thaqaf (d. 714). The governor is remembered both as one of the most eloquent rulers of his age and as one of the worst tyrants in Islamic history. K...