Leo The African (Paperback, New edition)

'Never hesitate to go far away, beyond all seas, all frontiers, all countries, all beliefs.' Leo the African's advice to his son reflects his own spiritual and physical peregrinations as an itinerant merchant in the Mediterranean five centuries ago. His story is based on the real character of Hasan al-Wazzan, 16th-century traveller and writer, whose life inspired Amin Maalouf (winner of the 1993 Prix Goncourt with The Rock of Tanios) to create this remarkable work of imagination. We follow Leo's picaresque adventures during his journeys in the Arab world, from 'the sack of Rome after the chastisement of Cairo, the fire of Timbuktu after the fall of Granada', to the approach of Carthage on the final page. A romantic, unique evocation of an exotic life. (Kirkus UK)

From his chlidhood in Fez, having fled the Christian Inquisition, through his many journeys to the East as an itinerant merhcant, Hasans story is a quixotic catalogue of pirates, slave girls and princesses, encompassing the complexities of a world in a state of religious flux. Hasan too is touched by the instability of the era, performing his hadj to Mecca, then converting to Christianity, only to relapse back to the Muslim faith later in life. In re-creating his extraordinary experiences, Amin Maalouf sketches an irrisistible portrait of the Mediterranea world as it was nearly five centuries ago - the fall of Granada, the Ottoman conquest of Egypt, Renaissance Rome under the Medicis: all contribute to a background of spectacular colour, matched only by the picaresque adventures of Hasan's life.

General

Imprint:	Abacus
Country of origin:	United Kingdom
Release date:	September 1994
Authors:	Amin Maalouf
Dimensions:	198 x 126 x 23mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback - B-format
Pages:	360
Edition:	New edition
ISBN-13:	978-0-349-10600-7
Categories:	Books > Fiction > General & literary fiction > Modern fiction
LSN:	0-349-10600-2
Barcode:	9780349106007

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