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Akbar was illiterate -- not an unusual situation for Muslim rulers with
attendant scribes, however, and he employed readers to keep himself informed
and entertained:

    Experienced people bring them daily and read them before His Majesty, who
    hears every book from the beginning to the end. At whatever page the
    readers daily stop, His Majesty makes with his own pen a sign, according
    to the number of the pages; and rewards the readers with presents of
    cash, either in gold or silver, according to the number of pages read out
    by them. Among books of renown, there are few that are not read in His
    Majesty's assembly hall.  Abu'l Fazl Allami, A'in-i-Akbari, translated
    	H. Blochmann, Calcutta, 1938-1939, vol. I, p. 110

More specifically, after an exciting elephant hunt in 1564, we read:
    When the world-warming sun had sate on the throne of the horizons, H.M.
    the Shahinshah [Akbar] with the desired prey in his net and the cup of
    success at his lip sate on that auspicious throne and graciously ordered
    the courtiers to be seated. Then for the sake of delight and pleasure, he
    listened for some time to Darbar Khan's recital of the story of Amir
    Hamza. [Abu'l Fazl, Akbar Nama, vol. 11, pp. 343-344]

The Hamzanama is an adventure story based partly on fact, but incorporating
local legends and popular tales. It centers on the purported adventures of
Amir Hamza, an uncle of the Prophet Muhammad who sought to convert the world
to Islam.  The narrative is a series of action-packed tales about love
affairs, murders, kidnappings, and battles, and its cast of characters
includes giant magicians, demons, and dragons - as well as heroic warriors
and beautiful maidens. Babur considered the story "one long farfetched lie,
opposed to sense and nature,"  [Babur-rtama, p. 280]

179 illustrations (B&W); 16 colour plates