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Summary: More from Tariq , Please
Review: Absolutely first class work of faction.
Part of a planned quartet on cultural/religious collisions.
Looking forward to acquiring and reading the other 3, soon as....
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Summary: Corrective Lenses for Watching the "Peace Process"
Review: I enjoyed this novel greatly, even though the narrative lags at times, characters come in and out of focus, and the tone of description is all too often derivative of unreflective orientalism. So why did I enjoy it? Imagine this: a story about a Muslim-Jewish alliance to defend Jerusalem from European aggression -- an allegory of Palestine that recapitulates the essential imperialist dynamic of the Crusader history but from the point of view of those who have had to suffer under it. The value of this novel lies in the way it inverts the false dichotomies of our times -- like the one that separates Arab Muslim from Arab Jew -- in order to envision how Palestine would appear if its indigenous inhabitants had had a say in its rule. It's a sad comment on our times that Ali had to go back so far in history to find such a time -- but nevertheless, his farsightedness allows us to see beyond the horizon of the present, tragic moment of Palestinian history. Yes, the representation of Saladin is romantic -- but in light of the current capitulation of Jerusalem to the 20th century's version of crusader aggression, one ought to be excused for occasionally dreaming of Salah al-Din.
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Summary: A good sleep aid
Review: It took me a long time to read this book, as I kept falling asleep after a few pages. Despite the dramatic historical events, the narrative itself is quite flat. The author tries to counteract this with a liberal sprinkling of sexual exploits...many of them homosexual. This recurring theme became as tedious as the rest of the narrative. I found myself losing track of characters and having to constantly search for earlier references to try to figure out who they were. Perhaps the rather pedantic writing of the narrator was a deliberate literary device. The book has a lot of archaic-sounding phrases and reads like it was translated from another language...all of which was probably intentional. Deficiencies of style, plot construction, and focus have been noted by other reviewers. For some people, the political merit seems to outweigh the literary failings, but this wasn't the case for me.
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Summary: A view with a room
Review: Remember, despite the rumours, Saladino actually dies peacefully in bed, and not defeated in battle as some heathen imperialist nostalgics would have one believe.Tariq Ali, does it again, this book is a treat, that doesn't rot your teeth or your brain. Set against a backdrop of testerone prompted, religion focused and aggression based wars against the people of Islam, this book tells the tale that is generally ignored by the contently ignorant and assumed to be valid by the most scepticle observer. Tariq Ali, writes a good novel, that is both readable and thought provoking. My advice is read this, then you will want to read more of his books. regards, martyn_jones@iniciativas.com
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Summary: A historical novel of Saladin, the reconqueror of Jerusalem
Review: Saladin, a Kurd by birth, led the Muslim reconquest of Jerusalem from the Crusaders. Tariq Ali tells the story of the reconquest from the Muslim side. His narrator is Ibn Yakub, a Jews and friend of Ibn Maimum (Maimonides). Intertwined with the history is much court intrigue, including sexual intrigue reflecting divers appetites. Interesting history and a good read.
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Summary: The Other Side's View of the Crusades
Review: Taking a leaf from the Middle Eastern story teller's practice of unfolding stories within stories, this one offers a scribe's eye view of the rise to power and the career of one of history's most fascinating leaders, Salah al-din (Saladin to Westerners), the Kurdish leader who rose to be Sultan of the Arabic world in the wake of the Crusades, becoming one of the Crusaders' most noble and notable opponents. The antagoinst and, indeed, the very antithesis of the blunt and often brutal Richard the Lionhearted, that famed English Crusader, Saladin successfully pushed back the European incursions on Palestinian shores and faced down Richard and his royal cronies thereafter, concluding an honorable truce which allowed Richard to go home to England without his tail hanging too obviously between his legs. This is all told through the eyes of a medieval Jewish scribe, recruited by Saladin to write his memoirs. In the process we hear about the sexual dalliances of the harem and Saladin's court and get to see the Kurdish Sultan in his medieval Muslim milieu, besieged by the machinations of the lesser men who surround him. There is an odd abstractness to it all; this tale's not very vivid and is sometimes nearly colorless in its narrative. And there is no plot to speak of, merely the back and forth required to tell us who Saladin was and what happens after our scribe joins him. Time passes almost vaguely and we are absorbed in a series of anecdotal tales and tales within tales, a la the Arabian Nights, so that, in the end, one doesn't have a clear picture of all that may have been happening in this time and place. And yet this is a worthy antidote for those who have been surfeited with the heroism and glory of the European Crusades. The actual record shows these Europeans to have been a brutal and benighted bunch, largely put to shame by the nobility and wisdom of men like Saladin. And this book, despite its flaws, does justice to that view. For a more romanticized (but equally fair) picture of Saladin, told in far more ornate and colorful prose, you may want to check out Sir Walter Scott's THE TALISMAN, a tale of Saladin and Richard seen through early nineteenth century literary lenses. A completely made-up story, but nicely told. Still Mr. Ali's version is worth reading for its own sake. And to honor the memory of a great leader who has been given less good press than he deserved here in the West.
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Summary: A well-constructed piece of historical fiction
Review: Tariq Ali has cleverly constructed a novel that intertwines both historical fact and fascinating fiction. Although much of the novel is fabricated, the history of Salah al-Din and his role in the Crusades is easily discernible. The stories provided by the narrator and other fictional characters serve as an impetus to move the novel along at a wonderful pace. If you are looking for an accurate historical account or even just a weekend read, this novel is certainly worth your time.
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Summary: A superb historical fiction
Review: Tariq Ali's "The Book of Saladin" is a rich and teeming chronicle set in the twelfth-century Cairo, Damascus and Jerusalem. The Book of Saladin is a fictional memoir of Saladin, the Kurdish liberator he Muslim leader during the Crusades, was one of the best known figures of the Middle Ages. The West accepted him as a worthy opponent; Islam was indebted to him for the recovery of Jerusalem. Ali brilliantly weaves a fiction tale around the historical figure Saladin. Saladin grants permission to Ibn Yakub, his jewish scribe to walk to his wife and retainers so that he may portray a complete picture of his memories. A series of interconnected stories follow, tale brimming over with warmth, earthly humour and passions in which ideals clash with realities and dreams are confounded by desires. At the heart of the novel is an affecting love affair between the Sultans favorite wife, Jamila and the beautiful Halima. The novel charts the course of Saladin as Sultan of Egypt and Syria and follows him as he prepares in alliance with his Jewish and Christian subjects to take Jerusalem back from the Crusaders.
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Summary: A superbly crafted and entertaining historical novel.
Review: Tariq Ali's The Book Of Saladin is a rich and teeming chronicle set in 12th Century Cairo, Damascus, and Jerusalem. This fictional memoir of Saladin, the Kurdish liberator of Jerusalem is dictated by the great man to his Jewish scribe, Ibn Yakub. Tariq Ali's attention to historical detail perfectly augments an original, enthralling, novel that is a small masterpiece of historical fiction. Highly recommended, superbly crafted, entertaining reading by a master author.
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Summary: A powerful work of historical fiction.
Review: This is a satisfying novel, told, despite its exotic settings, in sparse prose carrying a ring of authenticity reminiscent at times of Naguib Mahfouz. The book deals in complex and subtle people who question the nature of the relationship between body and soul and ponder the purposes of war, not in easy steretypes or generalisations, even in an area which has been traditionally replete with them. It is illuminationg to have the Saladin story told by a writer who has immersed himself in the 'other side'. Tariq Ali's novel creates an authentic-seeming court, full of intrigue, dominated by a man who is charismatic yet not a hero of romance, a rather hesitant, limping figure, a Sultan whose preferred diet is soup and beans. In Saladin's entourage are strong and intelligent women, the Sultana Jamila and her female lover, and their story is interwoven with that of the Sultan's public life. It may be controversial to assign such dominance to the women in a harem, but these are characters in a convincing story with a reality beyond that of historical cliche.
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