Mark Rizk Farag > Recent Status Updates

Very thorough and succinct coverage of ancient Egyptian history!

Also covers the 'race controversy' really well. Some of us do in fact identify more as North African than as Arab, but I suppose we are the minority.

Bro, Confucius should have sued for libel 😂

The writing style remains fascinating, despite the ideas not really resonating with me.

The best written book of the series so far!

This book has motivated me to read Chinese history and philosophy

The most impressive thing about the book is it's writing style. The philosophical views expressed in my opinion have as much valuable content as poorly argued or problematic content.

An ideal Daoist sage would face natural death and loss of loved one with no emotional turmoil.

But seemingly, would use none of this strength to challenge oppression or do good for those around them.

This book and series, legitimately deserve to be as big as the biggest in the fantasy genre.

This is easily one of the most bizarre books I have ever attempted to read, and I don't mean that in a bad way.

Beautiful and quite cataclysmic in its apophatic nature

Loving this a lot more than I expected to

Most of the book is brilliant - but I hated one chapter so far

The love of Rumi for Hafez/Shams el Din is so evident across the centuries, through the stylistically unique references he leaves to him in his poetry!

Part of what makes this book so beautiful, is the vastly varying perspectives on the life of Jesus.

Dostoevsky certainly got better at ending stories over time.

Dostoevsky's female characters shine more in 'lesser' works such as this and The Idiot, in comparison to his 'major' works.

Umar Ibn Al-Farid making me proud to be an Egyptian

Amazing, deeply spiritual and evocative poetry. Rabia is by far my favourite so far.

Dostoevsky's 'lesser' works outshine most authors magnum opuses.

If a non fiction book keeps you up till 1am, you know it is special.

Absolutely sublime. There is truly so much to learn from this work, and I love that it remains scholarly rather than leaning heavily into hagiography.

Somewhat bizarrely for a non fiction book, the author insists on stating his opinion and theories as fact. For example, the idea that some prophecies which contain both positive and negative connotations having had the former added later because it seems strange to him for both to be present.

Again, some degree of positionality in such matters is helpful. Why does it matter if some things seem strange to us?

Occasionally profound, occasionally cringe.

Fascinating, well researched and thorough so far - but far too often states what should be well informed hypotheses as factual statements.

''It is better to eat meat and wine than to eat the flesh of one's brothers by disparaging them.'

Interesting so far...

barely a few pages in and we are already dunking on fundamentalists and Christian Zionists, my goodness me! :')

I only showed you what you already know to be true in your heart... A real friend is a mirror who reflects the truth back to us'

he realpolitik remains amazing. However, the book supercedes the former inasmuch as it manages to centralise its characters in the wider grand narrative.

The old lady chuckled, "When you have lived for as long as I have, you realise that the greatest pleasures in life are not impressive at all. It's better to have at least one true friend who can understand the voice in your heart when you pluck out a hesitant tune on the zither than to have the unthinking adoration of millions."