The Stone Woman by Tariq Ali
Each year, when the weather in Istanbul becomes unbearable, the family of Iskender Pasha, a retired Ottoman notable, retires to its summer palace overlooking the Sea of Marmara. It is 1899 and the last great Islamic empire is in serious trouble. A former tutor poses a question which the family has been refusing to confront for almost a century: "Your Ottoman Empire is like a drunken prostitute, neither knowing nor caring who will take her next. Do I exaggerate, Memed?" The history of Iskender Pasha's family mirrors the growing degeneration of the Empire they have served for the last five hundred years. This passionate story of masters and servants, school-teachers and painters, is marked by jealousies, vendettas and, with the decay of the Empire, a new generation which is deeply hostile to the half-truths and myths of the "golden days." The Stone Woman is the third novel of Tariq Ali's Islam Quartet. Like its predecessors-Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree and The Book of Saladin-its power lies both in the story-telling and the challenge it poses to stereotyped images of life under Islam.
.. an Eastern Magic Mountain. * London Review of Books *
A richly woven tapestry that, even before its completion, merits comparison with Naguib Mahfouz's celebrated Cairo Trilogy. A great work in progress. * Kirkus Reviews *
Ali spins a web of tales that is as inventive and fantastical as the Arabian nights. * The Times *
Tales of anguish, longing, lust and lvoe all find their way to The Stone Woman ? Ali paints a vivid picture of a fading world. * New York Times Book Review *
This Chekhov-like scenario of intense emotion within a creaking social structure constructs a rich picture of history and the way we think about history. * Times Literary Supplement *
A richly woven tapestry that, even before its completion, merits comparison with Naguib Mahfouz's celebrated Cairo Trilogy. A great work in progress. * Kirkus Reviews *
Ali spins a web of tales that is as inventive and fantastical as the Arabian nights. * The Times *
Tales of anguish, longing, lust and lvoe all find their way to The Stone Woman ? Ali paints a vivid picture of a fading world. * New York Times Book Review *
This Chekhov-like scenario of intense emotion within a creaking social structure constructs a rich picture of history and the way we think about history. * Times Literary Supplement *
TARIQ ALI is a writer and filmmaker. He has written more than a dozen books on world history and politics--including Pirates of the Caribbean, Bush in Babylon, The Clash of Fundamentalisms and The Obama Syndrome--as well as five novels in his Islam Quintet series and scripts for the stage and screen. He is an editor of the New Left Review and lives in London.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781859847640 |
| ISBN 10 | 1859847641 |
| Title | The Stone Woman |
| Author | Tariq Ali |
| Series | The Islam Quintet |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Publisher | Verso Books |
| Year published | 2000-08-17 |
| Number of pages | 284 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |