The Perfumed Garden

The 15th-century Arabian text The Perfumed Garden stands with India’s The Karma Sutra as one of the greatest erotic texts in classic literature. It is primarily a manual for sexual activity of all kinds, dealing in some considerable detail with physical attributes, foreplay, coital positions and advice for how to achieve greater satisfaction for both partners, as well as sexual health. In addition, it contains some enlivening stories of sexual encounters and sexual needs fulfilled. Jonathan Keeble reads Richard Burton’s famous 1886 translation with aplomb.