The third book in Tahir Shah's series of Nasrudin stories, The Voyages and Vicissitudes of Nasrudin builds on the foundations laid down by The Misadventures of the Mystifying Nasrudin and The Peregrinations of the Perplexing Nasrudin, completing the trilogy. In turn, the three volumes of Nasrudin tales are underpinned by Shah's celebrated travelogue, Travels With Nasrudin.

Part of an ancient hybrid of 'foolish wisdom', Nasrudin tales have been relied upon for centuries, as a way of freeing the mind from existing preconceptions and entrenched ways of thought. Regarded by many as psychological puzzle-tales, the jokes featuring the wise fool of Oriental folklore are told and retold in teahouses, office blocks, and ordinary homes - from Casablanca to Canton.