"The Shaving of Shagpat; an Arabian entertainment — Volume 4" by George Meredith is a fantasy novel published in 1856. Written in the style of the Arabian Nights, this humorous oriental romance follows Shibli Bagarag, a Persian barber, and Noorna, an enchantress, on their quest to shave the tyrant Shagpat, whose magical hair enslaves an entire city. Their journey involves magic swords, talking hawks, genies, and enchanted palaces. Praised by George Eliot as a work of genius, this allegorical tale weaves multiple stories within stories. (This is an automatically generated summary.)