"LEGEND ABOUT SALADIN"

The work under review is devoted to one of the most renowned figures of the Muslim world — the 12th-century military leader and ruler, Saladin, victor over the Crusaders. On the one hand, the book explores the formation of the medieval myth of the jihad hero; on the other, it examines its reinterpretation in literary and historical texts up to the early 19th century. The author analyzes the intertextual connections of the Saladin myth, its chronology, and its genesis, demonstrating how, in the 18th and 19th centuries, this myth gradually sheds its fictional elements and assumes a more historically grounded character. The reviewer observes that the title of the book is somewhat broader than its actual content, as the author primarily focuses on the French literary tradition. Additionally, the reviewer notes a certain gap between the theoretical frameworks the author proposes and their practical application. Attention is also drawn to a shift in the research focus: from the stated aim of tracing the myth’s adaptation in new literary and historical contexts to a reconstruction of Saladin’s image. Nonetheless, despite these observations, the reviewer concludes that the book represents a significant contribution to the study of the so-called “legend of Saladin.”