| Granada Contributor(s): Ashour, Radwa (Author), Granara, William (Translator) |
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ISBN: 0815607652 ISBN-13: 9780815607656 Publisher: Syracuse University Press OUR PRICE: $22.46 Product Type: Hardcover Published: October 2003 Annotation: A powerful novel of life in the mixed culture that existed in Southern Spain before the expulsion of the Arabs and Jews. Radwa Ashour skillfully weaves a history of Granadan rule and an Arabic world into a novel that evokes cultural loss and the disappearance of a vanquished population. The novel follows the family of Abu Jaafar, the bookbinder--his wife, widowed daughter-in-law, her two children, and his two apprentices--as they witness Christopher Columbus and his entourage in a triumphant parade featuring exotic plants and animals, and human captives from the New World. Embedded in the narrative is the preparation for the marriage of Saad, one of the apprentices, and Saleema, Abu Jaafar's granddaughter--a scenario that is elegantly revealed in a number of parallel scenes. As the new rulers of Granada confiscate books, and officials burn the collected volumes, Abu Jaafur quietly moves his rich library out of town. Persecuted Muslims fight to form an independent government, but increasing economic and cultural pressures on the Arabs of Spain and Christian rulers culminate in Christian conversions and Muslim uprisings. A tale that is both vigorous and heartbreaking, this novel will appeal to general readers of Spanish and Arabic literature as well as anyone interested in Christian-Muslim relations. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Fiction | Historical - General |
| Dewey: FIC |
| LCCN: 2003018502 |
| Series: Middle East Literature in Translation |
| Physical Information: 0.79" H x 5.9" W x 8.96" (0.98 lbs) 248 pages |
| Themes: - Cultural Region - Middle East - Cultural Region - Western Europe |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Radwa Ashour skillfully weaves a history of Granadan rule and an Arabic world into a novel that evokes cultural loss and the disappearance of a vanquished population. The novel follows the family of Abu Jaafar, the bookbinderhis wife, widowed daughter-in-law, her two children, and his two apprenticesas they witness Christopher Columbus and his entourage in a triumphant parade featuring exotic plants and animals and human captives from the New World. Embedded in the narrative is the preparation for the marriage of Saad, one of the apprentices, and Saleema, Abu Jaafar's granddaughtera scenario that is elegantly revealed in a number of parallel scenes. As the new rulers of Granada confiscate books and officials burn the collected volumes, Abu Jaafur quietly moves his rich library out of town. Persecuted Muslims fight to form an independent government, but increasing economic and cultural pressures on the Arabs of Spain and Christian rulers culminate in Christian conversions and Muslim uprisings. A tale that is both vigorous and heartbreaking, this novel will appeal to general readers of Spanish and Arabic literature as well as anyone interested in Christian-Muslim relations. |