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Death of a Monk
Amid the bustling marketplaces of a rich and vibrant Damascus, where the dark alleyways teem with fear and hostility, Hilu unfolds a story charged with emotional and sexual conflict in this powerful literary tour-de-force from a unique new voice; at times wickedly funny, at others painfully sad, but beautifully told throughout.
From the Hardcover edition.
From the Hardcover edition.
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
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99 people want to read
About the author
Alon Hilu
7 books3 followersHilu earned a degree in dramatic writing at Tel Aviv University, studying under Israel’s leading playwrights, such as Yehoshua Sobol and Shmuel Hasfari. His plays, "The Wedding" and "The Day of the Dogs" were produced in theatre festivals in Israel, and were both translated into English for the Harvard Radcliffe Dramatic Club. From 1987 to 1988, Hilu wrote radio plays for Israeli Radio. During the 90s, two of his short stories were published in Israeli literary magazines: "The Biblical Zoo in Jerusalem" ("Iton 77", 1992) and "Last Seen" ("Moznaim", 1993). In Addition to his writing career, Hilu also holds a law degree and practices Intellectual Property law as an attorney.
His first novel, Death of a Monk (Xargol, 2004), l was shortlisted for the prestigious Sapir Prize in Israel (2005) and was awarded the Presidential Prize for literature (Israel, 2006) .
Hilu's second novel, The House of Rajani (Harvill Secker, Random House UK) initially received the 2009 Sapir Prize, but after claims were made regarding a conflict of interests among the judges the prize was withdrawn and the award cancelled. Israel's president Shimon Peres called it "an extraordinary book".
His first novel, Death of a Monk (Xargol, 2004), l was shortlisted for the prestigious Sapir Prize in Israel (2005) and was awarded the Presidential Prize for literature (Israel, 2006) .
Hilu's second novel, The House of Rajani (Harvill Secker, Random House UK) initially received the 2009 Sapir Prize, but after claims were made regarding a conflict of interests among the judges the prize was withdrawn and the award cancelled. Israel's president Shimon Peres called it "an extraordinary book".
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
February 15, 2025
וואו. קשה לי אפילו לאסוף את המילים לתאר את הרכבת הרים שהיא הספר.
אם לא המלצתה של חברתי גלי לעולם לא הייתה מגלה אותו כנראה.
הכתיבה של הספר הזה בוזמנית ציורית, עדינה ולאחר מכן ישר מתהפכת לאכזרית ומבחילה, המעברים העזים הללו הם מהדברים האהובים עלי .
נהינתי מאוד ממורכבותו של אצלאן, התסבוכים העמוקים שלו, האנושיות שיש בזה.
היה מעניין לחשוב על הנושא של מיניות ומגדר בתקופת הספר וגם על יהודי מזרח התיכון.
עם כמה שהיה לי קשה להתרגל לשפה הגבוה ואף כמעט תכנית, ברגע שהתרגלתי אליה הכתיבה פשוט הרגישה תענוג, כמו ממתק מפנק בכל קריאה.
התלונה העיקרית שיש לי זה בדומה לתגובה שראיתי כאי לפני כן, המשפטים מאוד מאוד ארוכים והשינוי באמצע משפט מגוף ראשון לגוף שלישי מבלבלת לא מעט, אבל לא מספיק כדי להפחית ניקוד לדעתי.
באמת ספר מעולה ונפלא.
אם לא המלצתה של חברתי גלי לעולם לא הייתה מגלה אותו כנראה.
הכתיבה של הספר הזה בוזמנית ציורית, עדינה ולאחר מכן ישר מתהפכת לאכזרית ומבחילה, המעברים העזים הללו הם מהדברים האהובים עלי .
נהינתי מאוד ממורכבותו של אצלאן, התסבוכים העמוקים שלו, האנושיות שיש בזה.
היה מעניין לחשוב על הנושא של מיניות ומגדר בתקופת הספר וגם על יהודי מזרח התיכון.
עם כמה שהיה לי קשה להתרגל לשפה הגבוה ואף כמעט תכנית, ברגע שהתרגלתי אליה הכתיבה פשוט הרגישה תענוג, כמו ממתק מפנק בכל קריאה.
התלונה העיקרית שיש לי זה בדומה לתגובה שראיתי כאי לפני כן, המשפטים מאוד מאוד ארוכים והשינוי באמצע משפט מגוף ראשון לגוף שלישי מבלבלת לא מעט, אבל לא מספיק כדי להפחית ניקוד לדעתי.
באמת ספר מעולה ונפלא.
April 13, 2019
סיפור המבוסס על אירועים היסטוריים אמיתיים שאירעו בשנת 1840. בשנה זו, בעקבות היעלמות נזיר נוצרי ומשרתו המוסלמי הואשמו מנהיגי הקהילה היהודית בדמשק בעלילת דם, שרצחו את הנזיר ומשרתו לצורך שימוש בדמם במצות הפסח. לאחר עינויים רבים נפוצו השמועות בדבר האירועים בעולם והובילו להתערבות בינלאומית, שבזכותה ניצלו מנהיגי הקהילה והקהילה היהודית בדמשק בכללה.
במארג של מציאות ובידיון טווה אלון חילו את עלילת דמשק ומשיב לחיים את האירועים ואת דמויות המרכזיות באותה פרשה אומללה. הספר מסופר מנקודת מבטו של אצלאן פרחי שאביו ודודיו הואשמו בפרשה. בתחילת הסיפור, אצלאן בן ה- 15, נער רך, תלותי באימו ויבבני נאלץ לשאת את בתו של הרב ענתבי. נישואים שגורמים לו עוגמת נפש מרובה. נישואים אלה ותחושות התסכול העמוקות שבו מובילות אותו למעשים שלא יעשו.
הרעיון שעומד בבסיס הסיפור טוב והשפה העשירה של הסיפור נפלאה. יחד עם אלה, השפה מקשה על הקורא להבחין בין המציאות לבדיון המשתרגים בסיפור. לפעמים השפה והפיתולים שבה מעיקים במיוחד כששוב ושוב הוא גולש לתיאורי זימה בוטים בכסות של שפה יפה. כספר ביכורים, יש בו הבטחה. אני אקרא את הספרים הנוספים שפירסם חילו כדי לראות אם אכן היא התממשה.
במארג של מציאות ובידיון טווה אלון חילו את עלילת דמשק ומשיב לחיים את האירועים ואת דמויות המרכזיות באותה פרשה אומללה. הספר מסופר מנקודת מבטו של אצלאן פרחי שאביו ודודיו הואשמו בפרשה. בתחילת הסיפור, אצלאן בן ה- 15, נער רך, תלותי באימו ויבבני נאלץ לשאת את בתו של הרב ענתבי. נישואים שגורמים לו עוגמת נפש מרובה. נישואים אלה ותחושות התסכול העמוקות שבו מובילות אותו למעשים שלא יעשו.
הרעיון שעומד בבסיס הסיפור טוב והשפה העשירה של הסיפור נפלאה. יחד עם אלה, השפה מקשה על הקורא להבחין בין המציאות לבדיון המשתרגים בסיפור. לפעמים השפה והפיתולים שבה מעיקים במיוחד כששוב ושוב הוא גולש לתיאורי זימה בוטים בכסות של שפה יפה. כספר ביכורים, יש בו הבטחה. אני אקרא את הספרים הנוספים שפירסם חילו כדי לראות אם אכן היא התממשה.
April 12, 2016
העברית! העברית! כנסיכה יפיפיה היושבת ברומו של כסא תפארות, ולגופה תכשיטים ועדיים למכביר, ודמה גועש ורותח בתוכה, וכל רמ״ח אבריה ושס״ה גידיה מכווננים בתכלית היעלות למטרה אחת, והיא להעשיר את חיינו ולסבר את אוזנינו ולהתפתל בלשונינו ולהציף את ליבנו ולחדד את עורנו עד שנדע רק שובע ועונג ורווח לב. איזו עברית!
October 23, 2013
Finding this book at all was something of a happy accident, since I’d never even heard of the author, let alone the title. This isn’t really surprising as Hilu is an Israeli writer and Death of a Monk was translated from Hebrew by an American scholar. Browsing the shelves of an Aladdin’s cave of a second-hand book shop in London’s Soho district, I thought the title looked intriguing and pulled the book out for a closer look. Straight away the blurb caught my eye, with various euphemisms for gay content: ‘close friendship with another boy’, ‘all is not as it seems’, ‘ill-advised relationship’.
That said, nothing about the blurb or the cover prepared me for this book. The artwork and the quotes, including one calling the work ‘gleefully bawdy’ from The Tablet, led me to expect a Gordon Merrick-style romp, but the book is much, much more than that. It tells the story, in his own words, of Aslan Farhi, a young Jewish man growing up in 1840s Damascus, whose actions led to a ‘blood libel’ against the Jewish community who were accused of murdering a Christian monk.
Heavily based on fact, the book brings to life a period of history I knew nothing about. Formerly part of the Ottoman Empire, Damascus had come under the rule of the rebel, Christian, Egyptian ruler Muhammad Ali. In the century before the foundation of the Israeli state when Jews were still scattered across the Middle East, Moslems, Christians and Jews lived cheek-by-jowl in the city, each with their own ‘quarter’ but mingling on a daily basis. Under the surface, though, the old tensions still ran deep and when the monk Tomaso and his manservant disappeared, it led to claims and counter-claims, betrayals and accusations, between and even within the various faiths.
The most noticeable thing about the book is its style. Hilu uses florid, almost poetic language. Here in the West writers are told not to let their voice get in the way of the story, yet Hilu does just that. Every noun has at least one adjective, tenses switch with confusing regularity, and Aslan himself hops between first and third person point of view, sometimes in the space of a single sentence. And oh! – those sentences! Some of them go on for years! Towards the end I was starting to find it tiresome and to wish that Hilu would just ’shut up and get on with it’ as the story of the libel unfolded. There are even frequent authorly interruptions of the ‘dear reader’ kind. These are explained at the end, in a neat twist, but I couldn’t help thinking the explanation would have been helpful earlier on. The style does, though, give the book a lyrical, almost biblical feel and some of the imagery is stunning:
"...I thought about those persons I was leaving behind, and they are now buried in the pages of this book, alive one minute and frozen the next, trapped inside a short description, a fistful of words, their fate bound and sealed until a reader brings them to life..."
Homosexuality forms an ongoing theme, as Aslan struggles to come to terms with his ‘different’ nature, his forced marriage, his distaste for his wife and his attraction to other men. His confusion – even fear – is strongly portrayed, at times bordering on melodrama, but I think that’s necessary to explain some of his more extreme actions. He’s a man in torment from the first pages of the book. There are sex scenes and some of these are surprisingly explicit for a mainstream book – the author isn’t afraid of calling a testicle a testicle. They are, however, always couched in the same very poetic language.
Overall, Death of a Monk is a strange book, but one I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend. It throws light on a fascinating episode in history, and not just on the ‘Damascus Blood Libel’ itself but also on a Middle Eastern way of life which has probably vanished for ever. It’s entertaining, it’s earthy, it contains flashes of gallows humour, and above all it’s a compelling read. The style may be peculiar at times, at least to our eyes, but I believe it adds to the atmosphere. The translator has done an excellent job maintaining Hilu’s authorial voice; lose that and it would be like rewriting the Song of Solomon as a particularly tedious newspaper report!
That said, nothing about the blurb or the cover prepared me for this book. The artwork and the quotes, including one calling the work ‘gleefully bawdy’ from The Tablet, led me to expect a Gordon Merrick-style romp, but the book is much, much more than that. It tells the story, in his own words, of Aslan Farhi, a young Jewish man growing up in 1840s Damascus, whose actions led to a ‘blood libel’ against the Jewish community who were accused of murdering a Christian monk.
Heavily based on fact, the book brings to life a period of history I knew nothing about. Formerly part of the Ottoman Empire, Damascus had come under the rule of the rebel, Christian, Egyptian ruler Muhammad Ali. In the century before the foundation of the Israeli state when Jews were still scattered across the Middle East, Moslems, Christians and Jews lived cheek-by-jowl in the city, each with their own ‘quarter’ but mingling on a daily basis. Under the surface, though, the old tensions still ran deep and when the monk Tomaso and his manservant disappeared, it led to claims and counter-claims, betrayals and accusations, between and even within the various faiths.
The most noticeable thing about the book is its style. Hilu uses florid, almost poetic language. Here in the West writers are told not to let their voice get in the way of the story, yet Hilu does just that. Every noun has at least one adjective, tenses switch with confusing regularity, and Aslan himself hops between first and third person point of view, sometimes in the space of a single sentence. And oh! – those sentences! Some of them go on for years! Towards the end I was starting to find it tiresome and to wish that Hilu would just ’shut up and get on with it’ as the story of the libel unfolded. There are even frequent authorly interruptions of the ‘dear reader’ kind. These are explained at the end, in a neat twist, but I couldn’t help thinking the explanation would have been helpful earlier on. The style does, though, give the book a lyrical, almost biblical feel and some of the imagery is stunning:
"...I thought about those persons I was leaving behind, and they are now buried in the pages of this book, alive one minute and frozen the next, trapped inside a short description, a fistful of words, their fate bound and sealed until a reader brings them to life..."
Homosexuality forms an ongoing theme, as Aslan struggles to come to terms with his ‘different’ nature, his forced marriage, his distaste for his wife and his attraction to other men. His confusion – even fear – is strongly portrayed, at times bordering on melodrama, but I think that’s necessary to explain some of his more extreme actions. He’s a man in torment from the first pages of the book. There are sex scenes and some of these are surprisingly explicit for a mainstream book – the author isn’t afraid of calling a testicle a testicle. They are, however, always couched in the same very poetic language.
Overall, Death of a Monk is a strange book, but one I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend. It throws light on a fascinating episode in history, and not just on the ‘Damascus Blood Libel’ itself but also on a Middle Eastern way of life which has probably vanished for ever. It’s entertaining, it’s earthy, it contains flashes of gallows humour, and above all it’s a compelling read. The style may be peculiar at times, at least to our eyes, but I believe it adds to the atmosphere. The translator has done an excellent job maintaining Hilu’s authorial voice; lose that and it would be like rewriting the Song of Solomon as a particularly tedious newspaper report!
July 19, 2019
The back of this book describes it as “gleefully bawdy”. I didn’t find that at all. I found it dull and depressing.
This book wasn’t for me. I found it a hard read and although I found the story behind The Damascus Affair interesting, reading about it on Wikipedia was faster and (for me) more enjoyable.
.
This book wasn’t for me. I found it a hard read and although I found the story behind The Damascus Affair interesting, reading about it on Wikipedia was faster and (for me) more enjoyable.
.
December 28, 2022
Citaat : En Mahmoed drukte mij aan zijn hart en fluisterde dat de tijd gekomen was om feest te vieren, en hij vroeg of hij mij mee mocht nemen, weg uit dat ballingsoord van gemartelde gevangenen uit het haatmoeras van mijn volk, naar een land dat ver weg lag en toch dichtbij, naar het koninkrijk van gouden sjaals en bidsnoeren en nargileh-slangen, naar oorden waar noch nooit een jood een voet had gezet, achter verborgen doorgangen en kronkelige stegen waarvan niemand in de stad het bestaan vermoedde en die alleen voor de ingewijden bekend waren, en mijn geliefde nam mijn hand in zijn eigen warme hand, die bekroond was met een ring van goud en sjarsjarparels, en hij besprenkelde mij met parfums uit verre landen en opende de deur naar een ander Damascus, hoererend, borrelend en suizend, een wonderstad die boven het Damascus van alledag zweefde, die je niet anders kon bereiken dan klimmend op een onzichtbare toverladder, vliegend op een behekste ezelin of hand in hand met je ware geliefde.
Review : Bovenstaande is één zin uit het spraakmakend debuut De dood van een monnik van de Israëlische schrijver Alon Hilu op de Damascus-affaire uit 1840. In tegenstelling tot wat men zou denken, ontstond het conflict dat in de dood van een monnik wordt beschreven niet tussen moslims en joden, maar tussen christenen en joden.
Bij de Damascus-affaire of het zogeheten bloedsprookje in zouden volgens kwalijke geruchten joden bloed nodig hebben van christelijke slachtoffers om matzes te bakken voor hun rituele paasmaaltijd. De hysterie zweepte de gemoederen op in de diverse religieuze gemeenschappen van Damascus, en na vreselijke folteringen werden belastende verklaringen afgelegd.
In deze roman die je een schoolvoorbeeld van faction kan noemen, staat de jonge joodse Aslan Farhi centraal. We leren hem kennen als een eenzame, dromerige knaap die nergens liefde vindt, maar des te meer verraad en haat. Door en door gepijnigd door een oedipuscomplex dat hij maar niet ontgroeit, haat hij zijn vader en is hij de speelbal van zijn moeder.
Wat wel heel duidelijk is, is dat Aslan nergens thuishoort. Hij is een jood onder de moslims, hij is een ongelovige onder de gelovigen, hij is een homo onder de hetero’s, hij is mager, zwak en stil in een familie van zwaarlijvige, doortastende en luidruchtige mensen. Hij is alleen, waar hij ook gaat en aan wie hij zich ook tijdelijk vastklampt. Ook al is hij enorm behaard toch is hij heel vrouwelijk, waardoor spot en vernederingen zijn dagelijks lot zijn.
Niettegenstaande zijn homoseksualiteit wordt Aslan gedwongen om een huwelijk aan te gaan.
Deze verplichte verbintenis met een vrouw zal uiteindelijk leiden tot een serie ongelukkige gebeurtenissen die uitmonden in een afschuwelijk drama.
De dood van een monnik is een zéér persoonlijke interpretatie door Alon Hilu van een historisch feit. Het is een barokke, indrukwekkende roman, die voor mij persoonlijk
Iets te gewelddadig en té gruwelijk overkwam, maar daarnaast wel geraffineerd inspeelt op een onopgeklaard historisch feit.
Review : Bovenstaande is één zin uit het spraakmakend debuut De dood van een monnik van de Israëlische schrijver Alon Hilu op de Damascus-affaire uit 1840. In tegenstelling tot wat men zou denken, ontstond het conflict dat in de dood van een monnik wordt beschreven niet tussen moslims en joden, maar tussen christenen en joden.
Bij de Damascus-affaire of het zogeheten bloedsprookje in zouden volgens kwalijke geruchten joden bloed nodig hebben van christelijke slachtoffers om matzes te bakken voor hun rituele paasmaaltijd. De hysterie zweepte de gemoederen op in de diverse religieuze gemeenschappen van Damascus, en na vreselijke folteringen werden belastende verklaringen afgelegd.
In deze roman die je een schoolvoorbeeld van faction kan noemen, staat de jonge joodse Aslan Farhi centraal. We leren hem kennen als een eenzame, dromerige knaap die nergens liefde vindt, maar des te meer verraad en haat. Door en door gepijnigd door een oedipuscomplex dat hij maar niet ontgroeit, haat hij zijn vader en is hij de speelbal van zijn moeder.
Wat wel heel duidelijk is, is dat Aslan nergens thuishoort. Hij is een jood onder de moslims, hij is een ongelovige onder de gelovigen, hij is een homo onder de hetero’s, hij is mager, zwak en stil in een familie van zwaarlijvige, doortastende en luidruchtige mensen. Hij is alleen, waar hij ook gaat en aan wie hij zich ook tijdelijk vastklampt. Ook al is hij enorm behaard toch is hij heel vrouwelijk, waardoor spot en vernederingen zijn dagelijks lot zijn.
Niettegenstaande zijn homoseksualiteit wordt Aslan gedwongen om een huwelijk aan te gaan.
Deze verplichte verbintenis met een vrouw zal uiteindelijk leiden tot een serie ongelukkige gebeurtenissen die uitmonden in een afschuwelijk drama.
De dood van een monnik is een zéér persoonlijke interpretatie door Alon Hilu van een historisch feit. Het is een barokke, indrukwekkende roman, die voor mij persoonlijk
Iets te gewelddadig en té gruwelijk overkwam, maar daarnaast wel geraffineerd inspeelt op een onopgeklaard historisch feit.
April 7, 2021
I have some very mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, its style is unique and arresting, perfect for the grim tale it’s telling. And it is stylistic, artistic, in a way few “stylish” books are. The story is handled well and is interesting, and the main character’s plight made me feel the most anxiety I have ever felt from reading a novel, the immersion was Intense.
On the other hand, I hate the style. I hate this book. This is ENTIRELY subjective, which is why I couldn’t give it any less than four stars. Because it’s just so well executed, it is incredibly well written — I just wish that what was so well written didn’t make me nauseous! I had to take a lot of breaks to get through this, just to prove to myself that I could. I wish I had taken the coward’s way out and not gone on. I recommend this book if you’re the type of person that can enjoy something intentionally written to be revolting and tragic, or if you for some reason have something to prove.
All the respect to the author. If I ever met I would likely throw a glass of wine in his face just as a reflex caused by fear.
On the other hand, I hate the style. I hate this book. This is ENTIRELY subjective, which is why I couldn’t give it any less than four stars. Because it’s just so well executed, it is incredibly well written — I just wish that what was so well written didn’t make me nauseous! I had to take a lot of breaks to get through this, just to prove to myself that I could. I wish I had taken the coward’s way out and not gone on. I recommend this book if you’re the type of person that can enjoy something intentionally written to be revolting and tragic, or if you for some reason have something to prove.
All the respect to the author. If I ever met I would likely throw a glass of wine in his face just as a reflex caused by fear.
June 14, 2021
Alon Hilu's fictional account seems absurd at first, but ends up being explained satisfactorily in the post script. It's actually quite a good depiction of the Damascus Blood Libel affair and puts a human perspective on its brutality. Aslan, the book's protagonist, is an unlikable character throughout the book, and every ounce of sympathy I could draw from myself was immediately quashed by disdain evoked by his sheer stupidity and selfishness. Hilu explores the hybridity of the human self, and touches briefly on gender and deeper aspects of sexuality, all the while making you absolutely hate Aslan. There are some plot holes that are acknowledged in the post script, such as the whereabouts of the Priest's manservant -- why include this character if his presence only planted a seed for foreshadowing a "star witness" situation, one which never bore fruit? Wouldn't recommend this to folks looking for an LGBTQ+ literature, but would recommend for historical fiction fans.
January 3, 2022
ספר עלילתי המתבסס על אירועים היסטוריים אמיתיים ומתרחש בשנות ה-40 של המאה ה-19 בדמשק. הכתיבה סוחפת למן הדף הראשון, כתובה בעברית עשירה, תנ״כית כמעט, אך עם זאת נגישה וקולחת. העלילה מרתקת וחושפת את הקורא בצורה ריאליסטים מאוד לחיי העיר דמשק ויהודיה לפני ותוך כדי ״עלילת דמשק״. הסופר הרחיק ויצק תוכן בדיוני לתוך דמויות ומקומות היסטוריים, ובכך הפך את הסיפור לאינטימי וריאליסטי, מעין חלופה היסטורית אופציונלית, ולא בהכרח מופרכת, של השתלשלות הסיפור האמיתי. מרתק היה לקרוא על ההתייחסות להומוסקסואליות בחברה מסורתית ושמרנית לפני יותר מ-180 שנה בעיר מזרח תיכונית. תיאור החוויות המיניות של המספר מתוארות בשפה ציורית ממש, באופן ישיר אך בשפה יצירתית ומרהיבה. ספר חובה!
November 13, 2020
Een indringend verhaal over zoektocht naar seksualiteit en geaardheid, gekoppeld aan een verhaal van vervolging en verraad van de Joden. Een beetje een moeilijke combinatie, wat de geloofwaardigheid van het verhaal niet ten goede komt. Beide verhalen hebben voldoende stof voor een goed boek, maar het is juist de combinatie van de twee die het wat absurd maakt. Natuurlijk moet een boek niet waarheidsgetrouw of realistisch zijn, maar een aantal wendingen in het verhaal maken het de lezer heel moeilijk om er te blijven in geloven en mee te voelen met het hoofdpersonage. Een onderhoudend boek, dat wel, maar ik mistte geloofwaardigheid in het personage.
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November 25, 2020Death of a Monk is a work of historical fiction that chronicles the Damascus Blood Libel in 1840. It's told from the viewpoint of Aslan Farhi, son of a wealthy Jewish family.
I wanted to like this book. I found it difficult to like Aslan - he's just not sympathetic. Moreover, the narration keeps changing between first and third person, which is a bit off-putting. The language is also so flowery at times as to be inaccessible.
I wanted to like this book. I found it difficult to like Aslan - he's just not sympathetic. Moreover, the narration keeps changing between first and third person, which is a bit off-putting. The language is also so flowery at times as to be inaccessible.
August 29, 2023
this is based in 1840's Damascus.
it is about a boy called aslan farhi who is Jewish and leads a miserable life as he is treated badly by his parents and siblings.
he becomes friends with a boy who disappears.
his father arranges him and gets him married against his will.
he has to suffer.
he is involves with an exotic dancer called umma-jihan.
he becomes friends with a Italian monk who is latter killed by his family.
i liked this novel , its by an Israeli writer!.
it is about a boy called aslan farhi who is Jewish and leads a miserable life as he is treated badly by his parents and siblings.
he becomes friends with a boy who disappears.
his father arranges him and gets him married against his will.
he has to suffer.
he is involves with an exotic dancer called umma-jihan.
he becomes friends with a Italian monk who is latter killed by his family.
i liked this novel , its by an Israeli writer!.
December 29, 2021
Ik had een beetje moeite met de zeer expliciete beelden, daar moest ik wat in komen. Ik twijfelde of ik het boek zou lezen maar uiteindelijk merkte ik dat de auteur me toch mee had en mijn nieuwsgierigheid het won. Het boek is zo zorgvuldig geschreven, met zoveel aandacht voor de taal en de beelden die het oproept. Niet voor iedereen maar uiteindelijk blij dat ik het gelezen heb.
April 13, 2023
Set during the Damascus blood libel, the main character Aslan, is a petulant, whiny teenager who turns into a petulant whiny man. The entire tone is very woe is me. Hard to read because he just so unlikeable.
November 5, 2012
I am not entirely sure how I feel or what I think about this book.The particular historical events of the Damascus blood libel in 1840 has been an interest of mine for years. I was excited and curious to read his interpretation in the form of historical friction. The historical events were woven into the fiction quite well. The beginning was well done, but at some point the author lost me. The characters were not believable. I kept stopping myself in a middle of an event the protagonist was immersed in and I simply did not believe it; not the prog’s thought pattern or his actions which, to me, felt too stretched. But, the story has hutzpa – and for that I want to give it 3 or 4 stars. I wanted to love it more than I do. For now, it only gets 2 stars.
April 25, 2015
I listened to an audio version of this book, read by the author himself, he did a nice job.
He also did a nice job compiling the historical facts into a quite interesting book. however, I didn't quite fancy the fictional parts which seemed like taking it a bit too far and I found the main character too full with self hatred. all in all, I enjoyed the beginning and the closing and the writing was fine.
He also did a nice job compiling the historical facts into a quite interesting book. however, I didn't quite fancy the fictional parts which seemed like taking it a bit too far and I found the main character too full with self hatred. all in all, I enjoyed the beginning and the closing and the writing was fine.
January 27, 2015
I like books that are based on historical events. In this book I particularly liked the beginning and the end.
February 24, 2012
Even though I finished this book, I'm not sure wether I liked it.
December 26, 2013
So........
Mixing historical facts and events with excessive homosexuality... yeah! Not really.
Mixing historical facts and events with excessive homosexuality... yeah! Not really.
November 1, 2014
[soon: gotta think a bit more about this one!]
February 28, 2015
שפה עשירה, מחקר היסטורי מעמיק. חבל רק שהכל טובע בשנאה עצמית עזה.
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