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Neem the Half-boy
Because she does not faithfully follow the instructions of Arif the Wise Man, the Queen of Hich-Hich gives birth to a half-boy, who grows up to be very clever and confronts a dragon in an effort to become whole.
- GenresPicture Books
32 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1998
36 people want to read
About the author
Idries Shah
287 books431 followersIdries Shah (Persian: ادریس شاه), also known as Idris Shah, né Sayed Idries el-Hashimi (Arabic: سيد إدريس هاشمي), was an author and teacher in the Sufi tradition who wrote over three dozen critically acclaimed books on topics ranging from psychology and spirituality to travelogues and culture studies.
Born in India, the descendant of a family of Afghan nobles, Shah grew up mainly in England. His early writings centred on magic and witchcraft. In 1960 he established a publishing house, Octagon Press, producing translations of Sufi classics as well as titles of his own. His most seminal work was The Sufis, which appeared in 1964 and was well received internationally. In 1965, Shah founded the Institute for Cultural Research, a London-based educational charity devoted to the study of human behaviour and culture. A similar organisation, the Institute for the Study of Human Knowledge (ISHK), exists in the United States, under the directorship of Stanford University psychology professor Robert Ornstein, whom Shah appointed as his deputy in the U.S.
In his writings, Shah presented Sufism as a universal form of wisdom that predated Islam. Emphasising that Sufism was not static but always adapted itself to the current time, place and people, he framed his teaching in Western psychological terms. Shah made extensive use of traditional teaching stories and parables, texts that contained multiple layers of meaning designed to trigger insight and self-reflection in the reader. He is perhaps best known for his collections of humorous Mulla Nasrudin stories.
Shah was at times criticised by orientalists who questioned his credentials and background. His role in the controversy surrounding a new translation of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, published by his friend Robert Graves and his older brother Omar Ali-Shah, came in for particular scrutiny. However, he also had many notable defenders, chief among them the novelist Doris Lessing. Shah came to be recognised as a spokesman for Sufism in the West and lectured as a visiting professor at a number of Western universities. His works have played a significant part in presenting Sufism as a secular, individualistic form of spiritual wisdom.
Idries Shah's books on Sufism achieved considerable critical acclaim. He was the subject of a BBC documentary ("One Pair of Eyes") in 1969, and two of his works (The Way of the Sufi and Reflections) were chosen as "Outstanding Book of the Year" by the BBC's "The Critics" programme. Among other honours, Shah won six first prizes at the UNESCO World Book Year in 1973, and the Islamic scholar James Kritzeck, commenting on Shah's Tales of the Dervishes, said that it was "beautifully translated".
The reception of Shah's movement was also marked by much controversy. Some orientalists were hostile, in part because Shah presented classical Sufi writings as tools for self-development to be used by contemporary people, rather than as objects of historical study. L. P. Elwell-Sutton from Edinburgh University, Shah's fiercest critic, described his books as "trivial", replete with errors of fact, slovenly and inaccurate translations and even misspellings of Oriental names and words – "a muddle of platitudes, irrelevancies and plain mumbo-jumbo", adding for good measure that Shah had "a remarkable opinion of his own importance". Expressing amusement and amazement at the "sycophantic manner" of Shah's interlocutors in a BBC radio interview, Elwell-Sutton concluded that some Western intellectuals were "so desperate to find answers to the questions that baffle them, that, confronted with wisdom from 'the mysterious East,' they abandon their critical faculties and submit to brainwashing of the crudest kind". To Elwell-Sutton, Shah's Sufism belonged to the realm of "Pseudo-Sufism", "centred not on God but on man."
Doris Lessing, one of Shah's greatest defenders,stated in a 1981 interview: "I found Sufism as taught by Idries Shah, which claim
Born in India, the descendant of a family of Afghan nobles, Shah grew up mainly in England. His early writings centred on magic and witchcraft. In 1960 he established a publishing house, Octagon Press, producing translations of Sufi classics as well as titles of his own. His most seminal work was The Sufis, which appeared in 1964 and was well received internationally. In 1965, Shah founded the Institute for Cultural Research, a London-based educational charity devoted to the study of human behaviour and culture. A similar organisation, the Institute for the Study of Human Knowledge (ISHK), exists in the United States, under the directorship of Stanford University psychology professor Robert Ornstein, whom Shah appointed as his deputy in the U.S.
In his writings, Shah presented Sufism as a universal form of wisdom that predated Islam. Emphasising that Sufism was not static but always adapted itself to the current time, place and people, he framed his teaching in Western psychological terms. Shah made extensive use of traditional teaching stories and parables, texts that contained multiple layers of meaning designed to trigger insight and self-reflection in the reader. He is perhaps best known for his collections of humorous Mulla Nasrudin stories.
Shah was at times criticised by orientalists who questioned his credentials and background. His role in the controversy surrounding a new translation of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, published by his friend Robert Graves and his older brother Omar Ali-Shah, came in for particular scrutiny. However, he also had many notable defenders, chief among them the novelist Doris Lessing. Shah came to be recognised as a spokesman for Sufism in the West and lectured as a visiting professor at a number of Western universities. His works have played a significant part in presenting Sufism as a secular, individualistic form of spiritual wisdom.
Idries Shah's books on Sufism achieved considerable critical acclaim. He was the subject of a BBC documentary ("One Pair of Eyes") in 1969, and two of his works (The Way of the Sufi and Reflections) were chosen as "Outstanding Book of the Year" by the BBC's "The Critics" programme. Among other honours, Shah won six first prizes at the UNESCO World Book Year in 1973, and the Islamic scholar James Kritzeck, commenting on Shah's Tales of the Dervishes, said that it was "beautifully translated".
The reception of Shah's movement was also marked by much controversy. Some orientalists were hostile, in part because Shah presented classical Sufi writings as tools for self-development to be used by contemporary people, rather than as objects of historical study. L. P. Elwell-Sutton from Edinburgh University, Shah's fiercest critic, described his books as "trivial", replete with errors of fact, slovenly and inaccurate translations and even misspellings of Oriental names and words – "a muddle of platitudes, irrelevancies and plain mumbo-jumbo", adding for good measure that Shah had "a remarkable opinion of his own importance". Expressing amusement and amazement at the "sycophantic manner" of Shah's interlocutors in a BBC radio interview, Elwell-Sutton concluded that some Western intellectuals were "so desperate to find answers to the questions that baffle them, that, confronted with wisdom from 'the mysterious East,' they abandon their critical faculties and submit to brainwashing of the crudest kind". To Elwell-Sutton, Shah's Sufism belonged to the realm of "Pseudo-Sufism", "centred not on God but on man."
Doris Lessing, one of Shah's greatest defenders,stated in a 1981 interview: "I found Sufism as taught by Idries Shah, which claim
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 2, 2020
When the Queen of Hich-Hich, longing for a son, sends the kingdom's fairies to Arif the Wise Man for advice, she receives a magical apple in return, but her carelessness, in eating only half of the fruit, results in a half-boy being born to her. Neem, so named because of his strange halfness, grows up longing to be whole, and eventually dispatches the fairies to Arif a second time, learning through them that, in order to gain his heart's desire, he must drink the medicine found in Taneen the fire-breathing dragon's cave. Assuming that this means he must vanquish the dragon, Neem sets out, only to be argued into a better course of action by Taneen, who, through his calm reasoning, leads him toward a path where everyone gets what they want...
I enjoyed this Sufi teaching tale, one of many retold by the prolific Idries Shah, whose World Tales: The Extraordinary Coincidence of Stories Told in All Times, in All Places contains folktales from around the globe. I'm not sure of its exact cultural origin - there is no author's note about source material, sadly, although the blurb on the back cover mentions that the story is well-known throughout the Middle East - but have decided to tag it as "afghani," in honor of Shah's own background. I really appreciated the fact that the theme here is communication - both in the ways in which Arif's messages are communicated to and acted upon by their recipients, and in the way in which Taneen leads Neem toward a better understanding, by questioning, and suggesting alternatives. The artwork, done by Midori Mori and Robert Revels, is colorful and appealing. All in all, this is a successful folktale retelling, one I would recommend to all those who appreciate the genre!
I enjoyed this Sufi teaching tale, one of many retold by the prolific Idries Shah, whose World Tales: The Extraordinary Coincidence of Stories Told in All Times, in All Places contains folktales from around the globe. I'm not sure of its exact cultural origin - there is no author's note about source material, sadly, although the blurb on the back cover mentions that the story is well-known throughout the Middle East - but have decided to tag it as "afghani," in honor of Shah's own background. I really appreciated the fact that the theme here is communication - both in the ways in which Arif's messages are communicated to and acted upon by their recipients, and in the way in which Taneen leads Neem toward a better understanding, by questioning, and suggesting alternatives. The artwork, done by Midori Mori and Robert Revels, is colorful and appealing. All in all, this is a successful folktale retelling, one I would recommend to all those who appreciate the genre!
March 18, 2022
Neem al Media Nino- Neem, The half -boy by Idries Shah, Illustrations by Midori Mori & Robert Revels- Children’s Illustrated Colour Picture Book- The book narrates an old time story of a land whose Queen of Hich- Hich wishes to have a son. Queen enquires about how her wish could be fulfilled. She requests the Fairies to help her. Fairies inform that a wise man named Arif can advise her. Queen sends the Fairies to meet Arif, the wise man. Arif listens to question and provides a magical apple in return with the advice that the Queen has to eat the whole apple. Queen gets the apple but in her carelessness, she eats only half of the apple which results in a half-boy being born to her. The child is named as Neem which means half. The child grows up longing to be whole. Again the Queen sends her fairies to Arif to find out how the child will grow full. Arif informs the fairies that the child must drink the medicine found in Taneen, the fire-breathing dragon's cave. Neem sets out on his horse to meet the dragon. Dragon informs Neem that he wants a stove to cook food. If he is provided with a stove, he will not emit fires. Neem exchanges a stove with the medicine. This leads Neem to a path where everyone gets what they want. Coloured illustrations help the reader to relate to the narrative. I have read the Hindi language translation of this book.
May 4, 2020
A magical tale about a boy who was 'incomplete' until
he solved a very scary problem, and made an amazing
discovery... that solving the problem did not have
to be so scary after all. Rather than being about
physical incompleteness, this story is about there
being 'more to discover' about one's self. A primer
for looking beyond preconceptions, and for exercising
problem-solving by looking for solutions through
cooperative communication.
he solved a very scary problem, and made an amazing
discovery... that solving the problem did not have
to be so scary after all. Rather than being about
physical incompleteness, this story is about there
being 'more to discover' about one's self. A primer
for looking beyond preconceptions, and for exercising
problem-solving by looking for solutions through
cooperative communication.
July 23, 2015
Neem the half boy.
A wise man, fairies, a magic apple, Kings and Queens, a half boy and a dragon.
The Queen has a problem so the fairies who know the wise man Arif go to him for help.
The dragon is my favourite character after Arif. If I had seen read or heard this story when I was a child, it would have been summer days.
Shows how distracted and forgetful we are even when things are important to us. How a dragon, breathing fire, might just be trying to cook his food and needs a stove. No need to cast him out.. get him a stove.
How we may all be half boys.
A wonderful present of a book, for children and adults alike.
March 1, 2019
An astonishingly ancient story which could be said to gently introduce children to problem solving and the benefits of considering alternatives. With beautiful and colourful illustrations which reveal more with each reading.
June 13, 2012
This story has a lot going on--it's very busy.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews