Middle East/North African Lit discussion

Our new group read is by Omaima Al-Khamis, published in 2017. The original Arabic title is
مسرى الغرانيق في مدي العقيق

meaning Voyage of the Crains in the Cities of Agate. It was published in English as The Book Smuggler in 2021.

It won the 2018 Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature and was long-listed for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction in 2019. This historical novel is the travel narrative of a fictional bookseller, set in the 11th century (1012-1014). The journey moves through the major cities of Iraq, Palestine, Egypt, and Andalusia. I have both the Arabic and the English. This is a very long book (500 pages in English)! Are you interested in joining this conversation?

I’m interested. I’m woundering why the change in titles.

Here's the link to the English-language translation.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...

Thanks, Carol! Nan, publishers make these decisions based on several factors. I think, in this case, the rhymed title in the Arabic was hard to reproduce in English, and it seemed wordy and not particularly meaningful. They opted for something more short and snappy. Like any translation, there's always something lost in it. But it's up to the publisher to decide what will appeal to the readers and sell...

Thanks. Actually The title Voyage of the Crains in the Cities of Agate sounds appealing to me. Does Cities of Agate refer to specific places that I might know by other names? Are Crains a reference to birds or something else?
Thank for your time answering my questions. Nan

The answers to your questions aren't known before reading the book. We'll learn more about them as we read through the book :)

Ok I’m prepared for my own voyage! First step, I ordered the book.

I've already started reading it. I'm about 200 pages into it. I won't comment until others have started.

Ok

Nan wrote: "Thanks. Actually The title Voyage of the Crains in the Cities of Agate sounds appealing to me. Does Cities of Agate refer to specific places that I might know by other names? Are Crains a reference..."

Just as an FYI: the phrase, "The Voyage of the Cranes" shows up repeatedly the further you get into the book.

Thanks. I look forward to your review.

I finished it. I had mixed feelings about it. I'll wait for the discussion before I post anything about it on this thread.
I've posted my review in the Book Recommendations thread.

The main character, Mazid al-Hanafi, is from Najd (Saudi Arabia today). He rides a camel named Shubra and travels with a crate of classical Arabic books such as al-Tawhidi’s al-Imta’ wa’l-mu’anasa (Book of Enjoyment and Good Company) and al-Isfahani’s Kitab al-aghani (Book of Songs). Throughout his journey, he is preoccupied with intellectual debates of the time, like predestination vs. free will and the search for truth / the spiritual journey.

In addition to caravans, the traveler explores Christian monasteries and festivals and spends plenty of time in mosques and Muslim discussion circles. More to follow...

There is a focus on male characters (travelers and scholars, mostly). Female characters appear in the main character’s love affairs along the way. This uneven representation reflects historical texts. The travelogues that have survived from this time period follow the same pattern. I personally would have liked to see some departure from this pattern and imagining of more women outside of this pattern. More to come...

I felt the book reads very slow, is too descriptive for lack of a good plot, I am only at 40%. For some reason watching interviews with the author discouraged me from reading even further.

Aww, I understand. I like to keep up on historical novels and women's writing, and it won a prize (!), but I totally agree that it's not as engaging as it could be.

The main character refers to himself as “a Voyager in the Flock of Cranes” (p. 333 English) and also to the Agate Cities (p. 334 English). One of the reasons why I was first interested in this book was the picturesque imagery these phrases brought to mind for me. I think the “cranes” are wandering seekers. They could be scholars or booksellers…anyone seeking knowledge (and they seem to be all men). As for the “agate cities,” they seem to represent the institutions and bureaucracies that hinder and endanger these cranes. What do you think? Tamara, did you have other ideas on this?

In the end, my favorite passage regards the essence of places:
“Long travel and journeying have taught me that every city has not only an essence, but a center around which the rest of it revolves, springing thence and returning, obeying its orders, following its laws, and colored with its rainbow. In Baghdad, it had been the Circular City, and the Rusafa Bridge over the river linking the caliph’s palaces to the common people. The heart of Jerusalem had been the tombs of her prophets, interwoven with their prophecies and the valiant deeds of her saints, and a timeless sorrow for a face chipped at by myths, each banner seeking to snatch a piece. The Nile is Egypt: how close or far you are from its banks is what tells your fortune in Egypt…[p. 413 English]. The Great Mosque was the soul of Cordoba and the center of its glory…[p. 478 English].”

Melanie wrote: "What do you think? Tamara, did you have other ideas on this?."

Melanie, I'm not sure about cranes in specific, but birds in general are perceived as spiritual messengers. Also, in some cultures, they symbolize the soul. I think they are important symbols for Sufis. I'm thinking specifically of Attar's The Conference of the Birds.

I'm guessing that's why Omaima Al-Khamis made them a prominent feature of her book. But as I said in my review, "the many references to religious and political individuals, the excessive detail of sectarian rifts and debates can be bewildering to someone with little more than a cursory knowledge of the historical intricacies of the period." I thought her novel unnecessarily dense and confusing.

Thank you for asking for my opinion.

Thanks, Tamara, both good points :)

It seems a controversial book. I am not sure if I will be able to catch up before starting our January read.

I don't think it was controversial, per se. It just needed massive amounts of editing.

I'm guessing that Niledaughter meant we didn't all just love it instantly. We had some reservations/criticisms.

It seems like people are busy right now, but maybe someone someday will read the book and have a more positive reaction to it to add to this discussion! :)

Melanie wrote: "I'm guessing that Niledaughter meant we didn't all just love it instantly. We had some reservations/criticisms.

It seems like people are busy right now, but maybe someone someday will read the boo..."

Sorry if I misunderstood :)

Tamara wrote: "I've already started reading it. I'm about 200 pages into it. I won't comment until others have started."

Melanie wrote: "The answers to your questions aren't known before reading the book. We'll learn more about them as we read through the book :)"

My favorite line is: “I am no disciple in the first stages of reaching up to attain knowledge, excavating for answers in the discussion circles of mosques and the loneliness of monk’s cells.”

Nice!

Indeed!