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The Orchards of Basra
Hishâm est passionné par les manuscrits anciens et a fait de leur commerce son métier. Il est habité par un rêve étrange dans lequel il voit des anges cueillir tout le jasmin de Basra. Or ce rêve est répertorié et interprété dans un très vieux livre qu'il affectionne : ce serait le signe prémonitoire de la disparition de tous les penseurs de la ville. En proie aux fantasmes, il ne cesse de naviguer entre deux mondes : Le Caire contemporain où il vit et la Basra de la fin du VIIIe siècle, ville fascinante où la pensée islamique est en gestation.
Dans ce monde parallèle, Hishâm rencontre un personnage en qui il reconnaît son double, un dénommé Yazîd, qui fréquente le cercle des théologiens rationalistes, durement combattus plus tard par l'orthodoxie. Une solide amitié le lie aussitôt avec l'un de leurs disciples, et leur histoire - faite de terribles trahisons - devient alors le pivot du roman.
L'auteure fait alterner les tableaux, les époques et les monologues intérieurs, et manie avec maestria les niveaux de langue, donnant à son récit une dimension polyphonique. Elle parvient au passage à aborder finement certaines questions théologiques débattues à l'époque, notamment la création par Dieu des actes humains. Un message, peut-être, se dégage ici, en résonance avec le rêve de Hishâm : s'il n'y a plus de jasmin dans les jardins de Basra, c'est qu'avec la clôture des textes sacrés sur eux-mêmes, la pensée religieuse musulmane s'est peu à peu sclérosée.
Mansoura Ez-Eldin est née en 1976 en Égypte. Journaliste littéraire, elle a publié en arabe deux recueils de nouvelles et plusieurs romans, notamment Le Mont Émeraude (2017, Actes Sud/Sindbad ; prix du Roman du salon du livre de Sharjah 2014).
Dans ce monde parallèle, Hishâm rencontre un personnage en qui il reconnaît son double, un dénommé Yazîd, qui fréquente le cercle des théologiens rationalistes, durement combattus plus tard par l'orthodoxie. Une solide amitié le lie aussitôt avec l'un de leurs disciples, et leur histoire - faite de terribles trahisons - devient alors le pivot du roman.
L'auteure fait alterner les tableaux, les époques et les monologues intérieurs, et manie avec maestria les niveaux de langue, donnant à son récit une dimension polyphonique. Elle parvient au passage à aborder finement certaines questions théologiques débattues à l'époque, notamment la création par Dieu des actes humains. Un message, peut-être, se dégage ici, en résonance avec le rêve de Hishâm : s'il n'y a plus de jasmin dans les jardins de Basra, c'est qu'avec la clôture des textes sacrés sur eux-mêmes, la pensée religieuse musulmane s'est peu à peu sclérosée.
Mansoura Ez-Eldin est née en 1976 en Égypte. Journaliste littéraire, elle a publié en arabe deux recueils de nouvelles et plusieurs romans, notamment Le Mont Émeraude (2017, Actes Sud/Sindbad ; prix du Roman du salon du livre de Sharjah 2014).
183 pages, Paperback
Published July 8, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 6, 2025
I am honestly stunned by this book, I found it so beautiful. I wish I could read the original, especially the chapter without the letter r, as a tribute to Wasil. it's such a creative choice and even just the knowledge of it made it clear how much the author cares about the medieval Muslim theologians she writes about. and yeah, that's a little outside my area of knowledge but that really didn't deter me at all. every single word seems incredibly intentional, I was conscious of the fact that I was reading. there's something about it that keeps you at a distance, but (very oddly) I didn't mind that.
July 15, 2025
The Orchards of Basra: Mansoura Ez-Eldin, translated from the Arabic by Paul G. Starkey, was longlisted for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction in 2021. The narrative shifts between modern Egypt and ancient Iraq and uses multiple narrators.
The novel is in six sections. It opens with Hisham Khattab, an antique bookseller in Cairo. He is enamored of ancient manuscripts, collecting them and selling them for a living. He has a passion for Arabic poetry, theology, and philosophy, and thrives on the words of Islamic scholars some of whom lived over 1,000 years ago. He becomes an assistant to an ex-sheikh who has been demonized by the mainstream religious establishment for espousing Marxism. Hisham has a series of dream visions involving jasmine flowers. These dream visions convince him he lived a former life in 8th century Basra, Iraq, as a man named Yazid Ibn Abihi.
The second section takes us back to fragments in the life of Yazid Ibn Abihi, a basket and mat weaver. He, too, dreams of jasmine flowers and relies on Malik ibn ‘Udday, the copyist, to interpret his dreams. This section includes the various sheikhs Yazid follows and their debates on theological matters. The third section focuses on Layla, Hisham’s mother. Section four introduces us to “Bella” who has a relationship with Hisham. Section five takes us back to Basra and Malik ibn ‘Udday’s affair with Mujiba, Yazid Ibn Abihi’s wife. And with section six, we are back in Cairo with Hisham.
The construction is complicated and can get very confusing. Chapters within each section shift between characters, times, and locations. Threaded throughout the sections are episodes of violence that continue to haunt the perpetrators in the different time frames. Actual historical figures mingle with fictional characters. Hisham’s and Yazid’s lives are so tightly woven together, they become almost inseparable. At times, Hisham is convinced he is strolling along the roads of 8th century Iraq. Such shifts can be jarring for the reader.
Through Hisham/Yazid, Ez-Eldin explores themes and debates in Islamic philosophy, with a special focus on the Mu’tazila school of thought. For those not versed in Islamic debates of over 1,000 years ago, she includes a list at the end of the novel of the historical figures and a brief summary of their positions. This is somewhat helpful but the name-dropping of various religious scholars, their exchanges and theological debates, is bewildering to someone without a rudimentary knowledge of the issues. They bog down the narrative.
The labyrinthine structure serves as a platform for Ez-Eldin to explore questions raised by Muslim scholars for over 1,000 years. The major debate seems to be about whether a Muslim who has committed a sin can still be considered a Muslim. Questions emerge about guilt, sin, morality, predestination, free will, reason, the impact of one’s choices, and justice. The possible intent of this complex novel is to invite the reader to reflect on these thorny issues. Success in accomplishing this goal depends on some prior knowledge of the debate and its major players.
My book reviews are also available at www.tamaraaghajaffar.com
The novel is in six sections. It opens with Hisham Khattab, an antique bookseller in Cairo. He is enamored of ancient manuscripts, collecting them and selling them for a living. He has a passion for Arabic poetry, theology, and philosophy, and thrives on the words of Islamic scholars some of whom lived over 1,000 years ago. He becomes an assistant to an ex-sheikh who has been demonized by the mainstream religious establishment for espousing Marxism. Hisham has a series of dream visions involving jasmine flowers. These dream visions convince him he lived a former life in 8th century Basra, Iraq, as a man named Yazid Ibn Abihi.
The second section takes us back to fragments in the life of Yazid Ibn Abihi, a basket and mat weaver. He, too, dreams of jasmine flowers and relies on Malik ibn ‘Udday, the copyist, to interpret his dreams. This section includes the various sheikhs Yazid follows and their debates on theological matters. The third section focuses on Layla, Hisham’s mother. Section four introduces us to “Bella” who has a relationship with Hisham. Section five takes us back to Basra and Malik ibn ‘Udday’s affair with Mujiba, Yazid Ibn Abihi’s wife. And with section six, we are back in Cairo with Hisham.
The construction is complicated and can get very confusing. Chapters within each section shift between characters, times, and locations. Threaded throughout the sections are episodes of violence that continue to haunt the perpetrators in the different time frames. Actual historical figures mingle with fictional characters. Hisham’s and Yazid’s lives are so tightly woven together, they become almost inseparable. At times, Hisham is convinced he is strolling along the roads of 8th century Iraq. Such shifts can be jarring for the reader.
Through Hisham/Yazid, Ez-Eldin explores themes and debates in Islamic philosophy, with a special focus on the Mu’tazila school of thought. For those not versed in Islamic debates of over 1,000 years ago, she includes a list at the end of the novel of the historical figures and a brief summary of their positions. This is somewhat helpful but the name-dropping of various religious scholars, their exchanges and theological debates, is bewildering to someone without a rudimentary knowledge of the issues. They bog down the narrative.
The labyrinthine structure serves as a platform for Ez-Eldin to explore questions raised by Muslim scholars for over 1,000 years. The major debate seems to be about whether a Muslim who has committed a sin can still be considered a Muslim. Questions emerge about guilt, sin, morality, predestination, free will, reason, the impact of one’s choices, and justice. The possible intent of this complex novel is to invite the reader to reflect on these thorny issues. Success in accomplishing this goal depends on some prior knowledge of the debate and its major players.
My book reviews are also available at www.tamaraaghajaffar.com
June 28, 2023
Pas réussi à comprendre le message du livre...
October 18, 2025
Just didn’t get it
November 1, 2025
Really enjoyed this book. Found it was a smooth and easy read. You can kind of see parts of yourself in every character and I find that the author (Mansoura) has a unique way of illustrating the characters motivations, insecurities and weaknesses of character. I must say around half way through the book kind of took on a depressing tone that I was waiting to read myself out of but it never turned around. Would still recommend though!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews