| Hussein: An Entertainment Contributor(s): O'Brian, Patrick (Author) |
|
 |
ISBN: 0393321819 ISBN-13: 9780393321814 Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company OUR PRICE: $11.70 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: April 2001 Annotation: A delicious blend of Kipling and the Arabian Nights, "Hussein" is the story of a Muslim elephant keeper whose bravery and curiosity lead him on a series of lively adventures. His stories open into other stories, which connect with the action of the novel, and eventually our hero finds himself in a situation in which, like Scheherazade, his life depends on how skillfully he tells his tale. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Fiction | Action & Adventure - Fiction | Historical - General - Fiction | Literary |
| Dewey: FIC |
| Physical Information: 0.73" H x 5.98" W x 7.99" (0.69 lbs) 240 pages |
| Themes: - Cultural Region - Asian - Cultural Region - Indian |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Of this early work, published when he was in his early twenties, Patrick O'Brian writes in a foreword: In the writing of the book I learnt the rudiments of my calling: but more than that, it opened a well of joy that has not yet run dry. The story is about a young mahout--or elephant handler--his childhood and life in India, and his relationship and adventures with elephants. As a boy, Hussein falls in love with a beautiful and elusive girl, Sashiya, and arranges for another of her suitors to be murdered with a fakir's curse. The dead man's relatives vow vengeance. Hussein escapes and his adventures begin: snake-charming, sword-fighting, spying, stealing a fortune, and returning triumphantly to claim his bride. All of this is set against an evocatively exotic India, full of bazaars, temples, and beautiful women--despite the fact that O'Brian had never been to the East when he wrote the story. |
Contributor Bio(s): O'Brian, Patrick: - Patrick O'Brian's acclaimed Aubrey/Maturin series of historical novels has been described as "a masterpiece" (David Mamet, New York Times), "addictively readable" (Patrick T. Reardon, Chicago Tribune), and "the best historical novels ever written" (Richard Snow, New York Times Book Review), which "should have been on those lists of the greatest novels of the 20th century" (George Will).Set in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars, O'Brian's twenty-volume series centers on the enduring friendship between naval officer Jack Aubrey and physician (and spy) Stephen Maturin. The Far Side of the World, the tenth book in the series, was adapted into a 2003 film directed by Peter Weir and starring Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany. The film was nominated for ten Oscars, including Best Picture. The books are now available in hardcover, paperback, and e-book format.In addition to the Aubrey/Maturin novels, Patrick O'Brian wrote several books including the novels Testimonies, The Golden Ocean, and The Unknown Shore, as well as biographies of Joseph Banks and Picasso. He translated many works from French into English, among them the novels and memoirs of Simone de Beauvoir, the first volume of Jean Lacouture's biography of Charles de Gaulle, and famed fugitive Henri Cherrière's memoir Papillon. O'Brian died in January 2000. |