Ibn Tufayl’s ‘Hayy ibn Yaqzan’ Adapted to Stage as ‘Journey’
When scholars battle (in a bottle) over the world’s first “novel,” some point to Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe. Others tip their hats to Ibn Tufayl’s Hayy ibn Yaqzan (Hayy [Alive], son of Yaqzan [Awake]), which was translated into Latin and English in the latter half of the 17th century and served as an inspiration for Defoe’s 1719 adventure novel.