Middle East/North African Lit discussion

Moon Over Samarqand(2005) Will be our first read for Mohamed Mansi Qandil. it has been published in English in 2009 by AUC Press and occupies a worthy place among AUCP’s distinguished list of novels translated from the Arabic. it won The Sawiris Foundation Award in 2006 .

* By the time of writing the novel ", Qandil works as a literary critic and travel writer for the pan-Arabist magazine al-‘Arabi in Kuwait. He had visited Uzbekistan to develop travel features on Central Asia for al-‘Arabi. The trip yielded materials for what in the beginning of Moon Over Samarqand reads like a hallucinatory travelogue. This quest novel, which is made up of three parts, moves forward like a detective story by going back in time. The novel sweeps the reader into a whirlwind of adventures and stories that lead to a discovery of the truth and histories of the protagonists and their countries .

The novel explores the power struggles between authoritarian states and oppositional currents during the Uzbeki Soviet era and Nasser’s and Sadat’s reigns in Egypt , also the rise of of Islamic fundamentalism in Egypt "

The Egyptian novelist Mohamed Al-Makhzangi wrote: “When I read the manuscript of Qamar ‘Ala Samarqand [Moon Over Samarqand], I found myself carried away by the lyricism of this astonishing work of fiction, which weaves past with present in a manner resembling that of the cinema. Nurallah, the novel’s protagonist, in particular is unforgettable, dealing in extreme emotions but showing a wisdom that comes from the heart. This novel is written with real distinction.” .... More thoughts in this detailed review

** N.B
When we talk about " Moon over Samarkand" we must talk about Censorship …
Quote from Qandil in his interview with The National: “There are many constraints on the freedom of the writer. My Moon Over Samarkand was mutilated by the editor of Dar al Helal, who omitted more than one third of it for political reasons. Later on, I had Dar Merit publish it in full.” - lately it is also available in full Arabic version in Dar Al Shourok version . More about discussing Censorship from : Arabic literature in English .


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So , who is planning to read this one and when ?

I would like to read it. I haven't gotten it, am just starting Bab al Shams and Azazeel (for another group). I'll do my best.

Kate wrote: "I would like to read it. I haven't gotten it, am just starting Bab al Shams and Azazeel (for another group). I'll do my best."

Wow , you are reading "Azazeel" , it made a huge mess in Egypt , tell me what you think about it .

Several members are reading Bab al Shams , hope to see a rich discussion soon .

So if you get it , are you planning to start it - say - by the end of November ? (it will be great to discuss a book again with you :) )

Nile daughter, I checked my library catalog for Moon over Samarkand and we don't have it. Is there any reason why I shouldn't suggest it? (Is it controversial or against the local UAE values?) Even if I did, it would take too long to order, buy and prepare it for the library. I would say that I wouldn't start for a few weeks.

By the way, I'm finding Bab Al Shams and Azazeel to be both challenging reads, maybe I'll focus on Azazeel since I've missed the other discussion and still have this one coming up.

I will let you know when I get it. Is no one else reading it? By the way, I'm interested in the censorship comment you made, especially as a librarian living outside of the culture that I was raised and educated in, and inside a culture that is so different from mine.

There's a used book store in Abu Dhabi, I will see if they have this book.

Really, what I ought to do is start ordering ebooks so that I can get them almost instantly. Not yet my habit.

Kate wrote: "Nile daughter, I checked my library catalog for Moon over Samarkand and we don't have it. Is there any reason why I shouldn't suggest it? (Is it controversial or against the local UAE values?) Even..."

I am not aware of a reason for not suggesting it - (I haven't read it yet myself) . I hope you will be able to get it some way or anther :)

BTW , whenever you get back to "Bab Al Shams" the thread will be open :)

** Anyone will be reading this one ?

Hi Nile Daughter and Kate,

I hope I will be able to start reading by mid November.

Delia wrote: "Hi Nile Daughter and Kate,

I hope I will be able to start reading by mid November."

Great to hear that :)

I would love to read this with you all! Wish it were available as an ebook. Will check at our bookstore here and if I'm lucky, they'll have it!

Bernadette wrote: "I would love to read this with you all! Wish it were available as an ebook. Will check at our bookstore here and if I'm lucky, they'll have it!"

hope you will get it :)

I guess it is better to read "Bab al Shams" first :)

Nile daughter wrote: "hope you will get it :)"

No luck. :(

Hello Avid MENA Readers,
Raving reviews about this book is very encouraging to me. I believe I'll join you shortly as soon as I finish a few books on my to-read list. I'll keep you updated.
Happy Reading

Sorry Bernadette :(

Hello Marwa , So I guess I will try to start this one by late November .

Please Delia and Kate ... keep us updated too :)

i haven't been able to get my hands on the English version. i think i have to buy it. But first i am going to finish Bab al-Shams and i started (and nearly finished) Cairo: My City, Our Revolution. i'm trying to get caught up with everything! i am looking forward to this discussion, especially the emphasis on censorship. i think that will be very interesting and informative with such a diverse group here. :)

I have not been able to get to the bookstore but will be going to the Sharjah Book Fair on Wednesday, maybe they'll have it.

Delia, did you get it yet and if so, where did you find it? And are you reading Azazeel?

Anyone started reading ?

I haven't been able to get this. Don't know about buying it right now though it sounds good.

The problem in getting the book to me is that all bookstores are centralized in Cairo. I live in PortSaid, and chances are that I won't be able to find the book unless I take a trip to Cairo to stop by the bookstores. I won't go as far as opening a branch in each governorate. All I'm asking is at least a reasonable online store with reasonable carrier fees.

Sue wrote: "I haven't been able to get this. Don't know about buying it right now though it sounds good."

Hope you will be able to join us .

Marwa wrote: "The problem in getting the book to me is that all bookstores are centralized in Cairo. I live in PortSaid, and chances are that I won't be able to find the book unless I take a trip to Cairo to sto..."

You can download the Arabic e-book from here (the book page) , it is complete (as far as I know) . That if you don't hate reading e-books .

Nile daughter wrote:" You can download the Arabic e-book from here (the book page) , it is complete (as far as I know) . That if you don't hate reading e-books ."

Thanks a lot ND. Actually Desperate times call for desperate measures. And I think I got the book (You can imagine a very happy face). A very good friend of mine got it for me from Cairo. I just got the phone call and I'm extatic. Hopefully, I'll be able to catch up with you soon. :))))))))

my copy is supposed to arrive soon! actually, it was supposed to get here today but did not. i'm not complaining though because originally i wasn't going to receive it until a month from now.

Great Marwa :) , hope you will get it soon Marieke . I already started , only 20 pages , thouh it seems interesting .

I reached page 60 (reading slowly considering all what is happening in Egypt!)

We are in Uzbekistan , but with contentious links to Egypt , mostly historical , I stopped in front of the rivers meditation a lot ....The atmosphere seems magical !

When I lokked to this picture of “Amir Temur Square” in Tashkent where the trip began...I felt like ...this is not what I am reading !...I mean yes I know it is modern era , but it feels like dreaming ..

I got my copy! But I can't start quite yet.

Marieke wrote: "I got my copy! But I can't start quite yet."

Any time soon ?

Anyone started reading ?

Nile daughter wrote: "Anyone started reading ?"

I already have the book,I'll start on December 15th, isA. Just need 2 more days to finish Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities.

Started ... Wish me luck!!

i'm almost finished with Bab al-Shams and A Suitable Boy...as soon as i finish one of those, i'll pick this one up. :)

Great :)

I am reading slowly but I hope I will move faster in the next few days .

I am half way through chapter seven , I feel like so many historical fragments hitting me pushing me to read more about this part of the world !

So far women are still shadows we pass by with no actual rules , I wonder if this will continue this way .

Just finished the book. I'd rather wait until you guys finish it and then we can discuss it together.

Marwa wrote: "Just finished the book. I'd rather wait until you guys finish it and then we can discuss it together."

I am half way , but you can post any time :)

I feel strange to read about Sayyid Qutb in the mean time in the book , I feel that I really need to read more about him and about Muslim Brotherhood history , By the way I read Milestones early this year , it is very difficult to make a firm opinion about that book .

Qutb is interesting to me, especially since his time in the US seemed to have really influenced some of his thinking. He took mostly negative thoughts and experiences from his time here, yet i've read about other non-Europeans who studied in the US during the same time period and developed almost the opposite opinions of the US...i think because they saw the bad and the good, the bad with the good, and saw that the good was making strong progress to overcome the bad (Civil Rights Movement!) but Qutb saw only bad, bad, bad...this is my impression of him. but it makes me very curious about him, the Muslim Brotherhood, and social history in the United States.

Marieke wrote: "Qutb is interesting to me, especially since his time in the US seemed to have really influenced some of his thinking. He took mostly negative thoughts and experiences from his time here, yet i've r..."

That is an interesting point ! I didn't read his book about US ,actually I only read "Milestones" , but I read about him more , some portray him as the devil , some explains that his ideas were misunderstood , so I need to read more . one thing is clear for me ; that "the Muslim Brotherhood" of Hassan Al-Banna is not the same after Qutb . yet there are so many factors that affected the development of the Muslim Brotherhood in 80 years , and what I read so far is very shallow compared to what should be understood- specially with all what Egypt is going through .

In the novel , the author drew a dreamy portrait of Qutb and a sharp and cruel one of Gamal Abdel Nasser in parallel to the cruel soviets' image as well, I am very interested in watching how the image will develop .

I can't wait to start this book. I wanted to already, but I decided I really need to finish some others first. Trying to do that today! It's a rainy miserable day and I have nothing to do but hang around the house. :)

Many of the stories and reminiscences of historical figures in the novel is to be found hewn, distorted or interrupted. It became the major characteristic of the novel, in my opinion, to find the plot rich, intersecting and unfortunately incomplete.

Marwa wrote: "Many of the stories and reminiscences of historical figures in the novel is to be found hewn, distorted or interrupted. It became the major characteristic of the novel, in my opinion, to find the p..."

Interesting opinion ; I will keep it in my observation moving on .so you don't feel like getting a firm message by the end ?

I felt the novel changed once Nour El din started to tell his story , from a magical/mythical and mystical atmosphere to more social and historical one , I wonder if the author wanted to bring old ties between the two countries by his fragments before moving on with more recent history to braid events and historical figures!

it is my daughter's holiday and I hardly find time to hold a book in my hands :(
Marieke, did you start ?

I didn't start yet...i just finished Gate of the Sun this morning, so i thought i would start tomorrow. But then i saw the thread for Ashour's Specters and realized that i still have that book but will have to return it next week. I have my own copy of Moon over Samarqand, so i think i will put it off a few more days. sorry! :/

Nile daughter wrote: "so you don't feel like getting a firm message by the end ?"

Actually, no. The historical part in the plot is trying to draw similarities between two histories that are fundamentally different. Nasser is not Stalin. Qutb is not Nur ElDin. And the context in which such historical figures are put is superficial. I liked the mystic part, but I'm not sure about the historical one.

Do you think this book would be difficult for readers with little knowledge of the history in the book? Should we share resources for understanding actual events and personalities?

Marwa wrote: "the plot is trying to draw similarities between two histories that are fundamentally different...."

I will keep this in my mind until I finish and have a solid opinion of my own :)

Marieke wrote: "Do you think this book would be difficult for readers with little knowledge of the history in the book? Should we share resources for understanding actual events and personalities?"

I know almost nothing about uzbek history , but I didn't find it difficult to follow -(I wish I could learn more about poet Kadiri).

but if there is any problem facing anyone while reading , I hope it will be brought up - BTW ; Is there anyone else reading this novel but the three of us ?

I finished , I think I need to say lots of things but I can't get my thoughts organized , I will be back later .

The novel took me so long to read - (actually that wasn't the novel volume responsibility) - but this may affected the way I am judging it , I have a lot of friends who are crazy about it and there are so many positive reviews for it .

I will try to materialize my opinion about this novel :
- first , I liked it and I enjoyed reading it , I loved the historical trips even though it didn't fit for me in all the parts .

- at the beginning I felt mystery ..magic and by moving on I landed on earth , it is funny that with the last chapters when we were told Aly's story ; I suddenly felt like reading a new novel !

- Marwa's point about forcing similarities on the two different cases crossed my mind too , while the historical far ties and the common dark present were effective .

- Some reviews mentioned that the author have sympathy with Islamists or Islamic brotherhood in particular ; I wouldn't put it this way .Allaa Ala aswany defended them too in The Yacoubian Building... if we look closely to the Egyptian revolution , protestors thought of them as part of them and differences appeared later when the regime was down , it is "the common enemy theory ".

- the author hated "Military rule" and he reflected that on personal relation , "Faiza" figure was very troubling .

- I am confused about women role in this novel ?

- the ending was open , yet symbolic but I liked it , while I wanted some internal fragment stories to be more shaped before the end .

Did I make any sense ?

Nile daughter wrote: "The novel took me so long to read - (actually that wasn't the novel volume responsibility) - but this may affected the way I am judging it , I have a lot of friends who are crazy about it and there..."

I guess I agree with that it was an enjoyable read, many mind stimulators came up and left us questioning. I consider that something good in a novel.

What I've postponed saying that was definitely a spoiler for those who haven't read it yet, was that the novel consisted of many disjointed novellas.
At the beginning you start with magical realism. That is surreal and transcendant and transports you right away to a different time and place. Then the trip starts to Bukhara, and you start reading another story. A story of youth,lust and the ascendance of power. At last you reach Samaraqand, and another story starts about political tumult in Egypt, lost youth and the fall from grace.

I don't mind the novel being so diverse. What I minded was that the author failed at TRANSITIONING you from one plot to another. At the end I got the feeling that he crammed up three different ideas to make one big book. He could've done better if he simplified the plot. A simple plot that is told artfully is always a winner. Or even kept it as diverse, but intertwined it with stronger ties. I felt no similarities in the comparison of Egypt and the Uzbec. And as I said before, his trying to find affinities between two things that are intrinsically not alike.

I'll be reading for the same author for I really liked the way he articulates his ideas. But will I re-read this one?? I guess not, but I won't say never.

Marwa wrote: "Nile daughter wrote: "The novel took me so long to read - (actually that wasn't the novel volume responsibility) - but this may affected the way I am judging it , I have a lot of friends who are cr..."

:)

What will you read for him ?

Nile daughter wrote: "What will you read for him ?

A friend of mine recommended "A Cloudy Day in the Western Bank" يوم غائم في البر الغربي . I guess I'll try to get it soon.