The Sources of al-Thaālibī in Yatīmat al-Dahr and Tatimmat al-Yatīma

This paper surveys and analyzes the written, oral, and aural sources of two major anthologies, the Yatīmat al-dahr fī maāsin ahl al-ar and its sequel the Tatimmat al-Yatīma of Abū Manūr al-Thaālibī, which deal exclusively with contemporary literature based on geographical regions. The paper uncovers a network of littérateurs, active in the second half of the fourth/10th century, who constituted the major authorities for both works. The survey of the sources in the Yatīma and the Tatimma strongly evinces a return to oral transmission, necessitated by the newness of the information that had yet to be recorded in books. The survey also reveals the use of complementary transmissions through dīwāns, books, and other written materials. This distribution of sources is not uniform throughout the aqsām of the Yatīma and the Tatimma.