The Adventures of Hajji Baba of Ispahan

The Adventures of Hajji Baba of Ispahan by James Justinian Morier, the most popular Oriental novel in the English language and a highly influential stereotype of the so-called "Persian national character" in modern times. Morier's satire, a bestseller in England and elsewhere, is an entertaining picaresque novel embellished with Orientalist motifs. James Justinian Morier (1780-1849) was a British diplomat and author noted for his novels about Qajar dynasty Iran, most famously for the Hajji Baba series. With his knowledge of Eastern life and manners, he wrote several entertaining novels. The most popular of these was The Adventures of Hajji Baba of Ispahan (1824) and its sequel The Adventures of Hajji Baba of Ispahan in England (1828). The former novel is a sort of Gil Blas set in Persia. The Persian minister to England is said to have protested in behalf of his government against its satire and manner of speaking. There followed Zohrab the Hostage (1832), Ayesha the Maid of Kars (1834), and The Mirza (1841), all full of brilliant description, character-painting, and delicate satire, and several others of lesser quality.