Middle East/North African Lit discussion

About the book :
http://www.world-religion-watch.org/i...

I am not sure about July and August (Summer is difficult to concentrate in ) so we will see ...if not I think I may be able to read it by September .

Niledaughter wrote: "I am not sure about July and August (Summer is difficult to concentrate in ) so we will see ...if not I think I may be able to read it by September ."

September is even better for me too!
I see that Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree is the first in a series: The Islam Quintet: Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree, The Book of Saladin, The Stone Woman, A Sultan in Palermo, and Night of the Golden Butterfly
I would not mind reading them all at a later date.

Great , We can start and see where to go from there :D

I am delighted to open the group read for Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree. I read this book years ago, and am happy to reread it with you all. In this novel, Tariq Ali offers a story set in historical Andalusia, spending attention both on the story and on the history. Enjoy!

This will be a re-read for me and I am looking forward to it!
Honestly I don't remember that much as I read it when it first came out.

Here is some information to accompany your reading...

Bab Ramla is a historic city gate, and part of a public square. Here is a photo from the past, and here is a photo from the present.

Some of the poets mentioned in the book might be of interest to some of you:
1. Ibn Hazm is well known for his writings on love (poetry and prose), as well as philosophy and religion. If anyone is interested, we could read his The Ring Of The Dove together some day.
2. Al-Ma'arri is known for his freethinking.
3. Ibn Quzman is known for his poetry, especially his "zajal," composed in vernacular Arabic (everyday speech).

Finally, if you are curious about the hermit figure, "zindiq" is a term used for a number of freethinkers in Muslim history, including Al-Ma'arri. See here for more details.

I've finished re-reading Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree, and it seems to me that it's a celebration and testimony to all the cherished parts of Andalusian culture. Many aspects continued in Arabic and Mediterranean cultures, and many have of course changed since the sixteenth century. Those that have changed are recounted with nostalgia (for example, early cooking, medicine, and arts). Those that have not changed are presented with joy (for example, varying shades of religiosity among Muslims, certain cultural expressions and customs). For me, this book is kind of a fictional complement to books and events like What's Right with Islam Is What's Right With America: A New Vision for Muslims and the West, for the title at least. Both focus on a historical moment (Granada in Tariq Ali's book and Cordoba in Rauf's book, both cities in historic al-Andalus / Andalucia / Andalusia), and claim that moment for Muslims and non-Muslims alike to increase appreciation of certain aspects of Muslim and Arabic culture.

Tariq Ali's novel is one of my favorite novels on Andalusia. However, both for its history and for its storytelling, I prefer and highly recommend Granada by Radwa Ashour, especially the original Arabic text (because the English does not include the full text). So ultimately, I see the value of Tariq Ali's novel as providing Muslim perspectives in anglophone literature. Another author who does this is Leila Aboulela. We recently read her book The Translator. Authors such as Tariq Ali and Leila Aboulela allow readers of English fiction to encounter Muslim perspectives through literature, and I think that this is ultimately a service to cross-cultural understanding.

I just started this morning. Because I read it the first time in the 90s, I've forgotten a lot of the plot and characters. However I remember back then I had a few small issues although I liked it. I understand Ali's point, ( in addition of course to conveying the history through fiction) is to show how nowadays many in the West view Islam, and the Muslim world in general, as backward and religiously fanatic, but back in the days of Al Andalus it was the reverse. The Christians were the religious fanatics and were indeed very backward.
I get that and totally agree with his stance. So what bothers me are small but still rather annoying things. I feel like he is very much writing from a late 20th century point of view. He does not transport the me back to late 15th century Al Andalus the way Radwa Ashour did in Granada. The dialog does not seem believable.

Thanks Jalilah for posting. I'm not sure that anyone else is reading this with us now, but fortunately our conversation threads never expire. So maybe others will join in down the road :)

Melanie wrote: "Thanks Jalilah for posting. I'm not sure that anyone else is reading this with us now, but fortunately our conversation threads never expire. So maybe others will join in down the road :)"

Melanie, I edited my last post and took out the part about things I did not like. I don't want to influence anyone before they read it. I am enjoying this book immensely and think the others in this group will too. The few small details that bother me because they don't seem believable should not deter anyone from reading it. It's a good book!

Finished FWIW here's my review
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Jalilah, thanks so much for sharing your thoughts about the book. I'm glad that you had a chance to speak with a professor who could help with historical perspective. It is AMAZING the range of views (especially various freethinkers) represented in pre-modern Arabic literature--far more so than in contemporary Arabic literature. In that sense, Tariq Ali's novel is right on the money. However, I do think sometimes that Tariq Ali and Amin Maalouf's novels overdo their representations of relationships that would fall outside the status quo in contemporary society. As a reader, there are moments when I feel critical, similar to how I feel about news media that seems to take pleasure in sensationalism. It makes me feel like someone is trying to manipulate me. Some of your reactions I could relate to from my first reading. Interestingly (to me at least), some of the examples you gave shocked and/or disturbed me in my first reading of the novel, and did not bother me at all in the second reading.