The Book Smuggler

Omaima Al-Khamis, Sarah Enany

Description

1. Winner of the Mahfouz Medal for Literature under the title, Masra al-Gharaniq fi Mudun al-‘Aqiq (Voyage of the Cranes in the Cities of Agate.)


2. Longlisted for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) often referred to as the “Arabic Booker”


3. An epic journey through the medieval Arab world, from the Arabian peninsula to Andalusia, crossing Baghdad, Jerusalem, Cairo, Cordoba.


4. Echoes, and draws on, the great historic Arab travel writers, such as Ibn Battuta.


5. Captures the diverse cultures, historical settings, and religious and philosophical debates of the times from these great cities.


6. The Name of the Rose meets The Arabian Nights
   
7. Will appeal to readers of this summer’s epic historical novel, Maggie O’Farrell’s Hamnet and Orham Pamuk’s, My Name is Red

Sujets

• Literary
• Historical
• IPAF
• Literature
• Hamnet Shakespeare
• MENA
• Saudi Arabia
• Hoopoe
• The Name of the Rose
• Scribes
• One Thousand and One Nights
• Smuggling
• North Africa
• Middle East
• Jerusalem
• Ibn Battuta
• Muslim history
• Baghdad
• Scribe
• Cairo
• Córdoba
• Fiction
• Bagdad
• Arabie saoudite

Informations

• Publié par: The American University in Cairo Press
• Date de parution: 06 avril 2021
• Nombre de lectures: 2
• EAN13: 9781649030597
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Omaima Al-Khamis was born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in 1966. She holds a BA in Arabic literature from King Saud University and a diploma in English from Washington University. She began her career as a teacher of literature before spending ten years as director of educational media in the Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia.
A prolific writer, she began writing for newspapers at an early age. She has published novels, short-story collections, opinion pieces, and children’s books, and has been translated into English, Italian, and other languages. Her first novel, al-Bahriyat (Sailors), was a popular success and her second novel, al-Warifa (The Leafy Tree), was longlisted for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction in 2010.
The Book Smuggler (titled Masra al-Gharaniq fi Mudun al-‘Aqiq in the original Arabic) was published in 2017 and is her fourth novel. It won the Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature in 2018.
She lives in Riyadh with her husband, two sons, and daughter.

Sarah Enany is a literary translator and a professor in the English Department of Cairo University, Egypt.
The Book Smuggler


Omaima Al-Khamis




Translated by Sarah Enany
This electronic edition published in 2021 by Hoopoe 113 Sharia Kasr el Aini, Cairo, Egypt One Rockefeller Plaza, 10th Floor, New York, NY 10020 www.hoopoefiction.com
Hoopoe is an imprint of The American University in Cairo Press www.aucpress.com
Masra al-gharaniq fi mudun al-‘aqiq, Omaima Al-Khamis, copyright © 2017 Dar Al Saqi, Beirut, Lebanon Protected under the Berne Convention
Published by arrangement with Rocking Chair Books Ltd and RAYA the agency for Arabic literature
English translation copyright © 2021 by Sarah Enany
Quotations from the Qur’an are taken from the English translations by Salih International and Yusuf Ali.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
ISBN 978 1 61797 998 9 eISBN 978 1 64903 059 7
Version 1
To the Voyagers, the Cranes, from Wasil ibn Ataa to Muhammad Abid al-Jabri: Voices of the Fettered Mind
Historical figures Abu al-Alaa al-Maari Renowned, blind ancient Arab poet. Abu Bakr The first of the First Four Caliphs of Islam, who ruled after the Prophet’s death. Abu Hayan al-Tawhidi Renowned tenth-century Arab intellectual and philosopher. Abu Nawas Famous ancient Arab poet, known for his verses on the love of boys among others. Ahmad ibn Tulun Founder of the Tulunid dynasty in Egypt, best remembered for his great mosque. Amr ibn al-Aas Arab commander who led the Muslim conquest of Egypt and Egypt’s first Islamic ruler. Caliph Abd al-Malik Fifth Umayyad caliph. Revived Umayyad authority, quelling Kharijite rebellion. Caliph Adud al-Dawla al-Bouhi “Pillar of the Dynasty,” a Buyid caliph whose empire stretched from Yemen to the Mediterranean. Caliph al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah Sixth Fatimid caliph of Egypt, best known for his arbitrary and bizarre laws, such as prohibiting the sale of women’s footwear and the eating of mulukhiya. Caliph Mamoun Seventh Abbasid caliph, Baghdad. Known for supporting Mutazilism and imprisoning the strict Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal. Caliph Muawiya Founder and first caliph of the Umayyad Caliphate. Ascended to the caliphate after conflict with Ali ibn Abu Taleb, ending with Ali’s assassination by a Kharijite. Caliph al-Muizz (li-Din Allah) Fourth Fatimid caliph of Egypt, best known for constructing the walled city of what is now Old Cairo as the new capital of the Fatimid Caliphate. Caliph al-Muqtadir bi-Allah Eighteenth Abbasid caliph, Baghdad. Caliph al-Mustansir First caliph of Cairo for the Mamluk Sultanate. Caliph al-Mutasim Eighth Abbasid caliph, Baghdad. Caliph al-Qadir Abbasid caliph in Baghdad best known for supporting the Sunnis against the Shiites. al-Farabi Famous Persian philosopher of early Islamic times. Said to have preserved the ancient Greek texts in the Middle Ages. Harut and Marut Two angels mentioned in the Qur’an (2:102), said to have tested the people with sorcery. Hisham ibn al-Hakam of the Umayyads, also known as al-Muayyad Shiite scholar of the second century ah , a defender of the doctrine of imams being selected on the basis of wisdom and logic. Ibn Hanbal One of the four Great Sunni Imams, known for his strictness. Ibn al-Haytham Famous Arab polymath, astronomer, and physicist, known as “the father of modern optics.” Ibn Hisham Editor of the ancient biography of Prophet Muhammad written by Ibn Ishaq. Ibn al-Muqaffa Renowned ancient Arab poet. Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib The fourth of the Four Caliphs of Islam, who ruled after the Prophet’s death. Shiite Muslims believe that Ali should have been First Caliph rather than Abu Bakr and Umar after him, which caused a schism between them and Sunni Muslims. He was assassinated by a member of the Khawarij sect in 661. Imam al-Husayn Son of Ali ibn Abu Taleb and grandson of Prophet Muhammad, third Shiite Imam. Rejected the claim to the Caliphate of Yazid, son of Muawiya, and consequently was killed in the famous battle of Karbala. Hussein’s death became the catalyst for the Umayyad Caliphate’s eventual Abbasid overthrow. Imam al-Shafei One of the four Great Sunni Imams, known for his leniency. Imru al-Qays Renowned ancient Arab poet. al-Jahiz Renowned ancient Arab prose author and Mutazilite. al-Kindi Famous Iraqi Muslim philosopher, mathematician, physician, and musician, known as “the father of Arab philosophy.” al-Mutanabbi Renowned ancient Arab poet. Umar (ibn al-Khattab) The second of the First Four Caliphs of Islam, who ruled after the Prophet’s death. Uthman ibn Affan The third of the First Four Caliphs of Islam, who ruled after the Prophet’s death. Yazid ibn Muawiya Second Umayyad Caliph; attained power after the beheading of al-Husayn in the Battle of Karbala. Understandably, bad blood between the supporters of Ali and those of Yazid and Muawiya ensued.
Dynasties Abbasids Arab clan descended from Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib, 750 – 1517 with the exception of the years 1259 – 60. Buyids Ancient Shiite Iranian dynasty of Daylamite origin, ruled Iraq and southern Iran 934 – 1062. Byzantines The Byzantine Empire was the continuation of the Roman Empire in the Middle Ages. Its capital city was Constantinople; it fell to the Ottoman Empire in 1453, and until then was the most powerful empire in Europe. Umayyads Ruling family of the Muslim Caliphate 661 – 750; overthrown in 750 by the Abbasids.
Peoples Ayyarin Criminal gangs. Berbers Old name for people of the Maghreb. Daylamites An Iranian people of the Daylam, which refers to the mountainous regions of northern Iran on the southwest coast of the Caspian Sea. Hanbalites Followers of the principles of Imam Ibn Hanbal. Hanafites Followers of the principles of Imam Abu Hanifa. Hashimite Member of the clan of Hashim. Ishmaelites Muslim Arabs descended from Ishmael, the elder son of Abraham. Jahmis Followers of the thinking of Jahm ibn Safwan, who denied all the names and attributes of Allah considered sacred by orthodox Muslims. The word came to be a pejorative term among early Hanbalites, with a connotation of heresy. Khawarij, aka Kharijites Sect in the first century of Islam who revolted against Caliph Ali after he agreed to arbitration with his rival Muawiya I for succession to the caliphate, and later assassinated him. Mushabbiha Those who compare God to human form — considered blasphemous by some Muslims. Mutazilites Rationalist school of Islamic theology based on justice and monotheism. Considered blasphemous by some. Nasibi (pl. Nawasib) A Shiite slur for Salafi (Sunni) Muslims, literally meaning “hater.” Qarmatians Branch of Shiite Islam, notorious for sacking Mecca in ad 930. Rafida Derogatory Sunni term for Shiite Muslims, meaning “those who reject” since Shiites view Ali as the Prophet’s first successor. Rajilat al-Hanabila Civilian militia intent on establishing the strictest principles of Imam Ibn Hanbal by force. saqaliba (sing. saqlabi) Muslim Slavs from Central and Eastern Europe, originally brought to the Arab world as slaves. Shiites and Sunnis Shiite Muslims do not recognize the first three caliphs — Abu Bakr, Umar, and Uthman — as the legitimate successors of Muhammad. Shiites believe Ali to be the first successor. This is why Shiite worship is centered around Ali as a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad, and drives some Sunni Muslims to brand them as heretics.
Terms bimaristan Hospital. fitna Fitna is a catchall term literally meaning “sedition,” but can also mean “temptation” or “civil war” depending on the context. The Fitna of Cordoba / of the Umayyads The Fitna of Cordoba, aka the Fitna of al-Andalus, resulted in the collapse of Umayyad and Amari rule, the fragmentation of Muslim Andalusia into taifa s, or factions, and the end of the Islamic Caliphate in that region. The Umayyad Fitna is a period of unrest in the Islamic community following the death of Muawiya I, whose throne was claimed by Husayn ibn Ali and then by Abdallah ibn al-Zubayr. Umayyad rule was ultimately restored, but the rift between Shiite and Sunni widened. House of Wisdom Another name for the (ancient) Great Library of Baghdad. jizya An ancient tax levied on non-Muslims living in an Islamic state. the Mahdi (the Fatimid Mahdi) The Mahdi is the prophesied redeemer of Islam. Mostly Shiites (and relatively few Sunnis) believe that the long-awaited Mahdi will appear at the end of the world to bring about a perfect and just Islamic society. Quraysh The ancient Arabian tribe from which the Prophet first hailed. zakat Islam-mandated annual charitable sum. It was enforced by law under caliphs of early Islamic dynasties and paid into the state treasury.
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Caravans Pursued by Longing, Exiled by Drought Shaaban 4, ah 402; March 1, ad 1012
I turn my face to the city of Jerusalem, and I