Book description
Accused of mocking the inviolate codes of Islam, the Persian poet and
sage Omar Khayyam fortuitously finds sympathy with the very man who is
to judge his alleged crimes. Recognising genius, the judge decides to
spare him and gives him instead a small, blank book, encouraging him to
confine his thoughts to it alone.
Thus begins the seamless blend of fact and fiction that is Samarkand.
Vividly re-creating the history of the manuscript of the Rubaiyaat of
Omar Khayyam, Amin Maalouf spans continents and centuries with
breathtaking vision: the dusky exoticism of 11th-century Persia, with
its poetesses and assassins; the same country's struggles nine hundred
years later, seen through the eyes of an American academic obsessed
with finding the original manuscript ; and the fated maiden voyage of
the Titanic, whose tragedy led to the Rubaiyaat's final resting place
- all are brought to life with keen assurance by this gifted and
award-winning writer.
Amin Maalouf is a Lebanese journalist and writer. He was
formerly director of the weekly international edition of the leading
Beirut daily an-Nahar, and editor-in-chief of Jeune Afrique. He lives
with his wife and three children in Paris.
