arden
at the Roof of the World
Giovanni Boccaccio: The Decameron. While not strictly a contemporary text, as it was written and published during the following century, the stories are very much ones that would have been common to the 13th century. I modeled David's story to the Caliph on the story of Melchizedek.
Wolfram von Eshenbach: Parzival. This epic depicts a noble pagan in an era when most think that Christians only wrote of Christian heros.
Guillaume de Lorris: The Romance of the Rose. The initial poem of Guillaume is very different than that which Jean de Meun added to it. The delightful subject of courting a woman combined with the early and tragic death of the author was a delightful addition to my tale.
Marie de France: The Lais. To many in this age fail to understand how many opportunities there were for women of the 13th century. Marie de France has left us with delightful poems, rich in subject and powerful in voice.
Chrétien de Troyes: Erid and Enide. This romance has a heroine instead of a hero. In thus breaking of our stereotype of a medieval romance, we are left with a distinct impression of how heroic women were who put up with such men as Eric.
Prince Ilangô Adigal: Shilappadikaram. This delightful medieval Indian epic poem helped me understand medieval Indian sexual mores and planted the idea of a woman ascetic in my head, who I named after the Jain nun in this epic.
Merchant-Prince Shattan: Manimekhalaï. This medieval Indian epic poem written shortly after the Shiappadikaram and in the same culture helped me greatly to understand Buddhism in medieval India.
The Arabian Nights. While this story cycle is more ancient and more modern than the setting of The Garden at the Roof of the World, the stories were widely popular folk stories in medieval Iraq.
I also read and listened to many performances of the music of the troubadours. Thankfully, some of the songs of the women troubadours have survived and there are excellent recordings available.
