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1991
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Abdelaziz Labib, « La Basiliade : une utopie orientale ? », Dix-Huitième Siècle, ID : 10.3406/dhs.1991.1818
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Abdelaziz Labib : Morelly's Basiliade. an oriental utopia ? Morelly, in his Basiliade, claims to be merely the translator of a true Hindu "poem", Kalileh ye Demnah, which he attributes to Bidpai. Although not very unusual, this calls for two remarks. 1) Concerning the form, he borrows from the literary incarnations of the oriental tale, recounted by d'Herbelot in the Bibliothèque orientale (1679). The Fable of Bidpai was often recomposed for political authorities, by translators, compilers or forgers and adapted to the local cultural atmosphere. Curiously, Morelly's Prologue gives the same information as d'Herbelot. 2) As to the content, Morelly was certainly inspired by the Bibliothèque orientale' s commentaries on oriental myths and Koranic sourats. His borrowings concern both the vocabulary and, more importantly, the parables which enliven his pantheism and present it in a vivid and enchanted way.