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The
2007 Award
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A Sultan in Palermo by Ali Tariq
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Nominated by:
Publisher
of Nominated Edition
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| the complete A-Z listing of nominated authors |
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ABOUT
THE BOOK
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| The
fourth novel in Tariq Ali's Islam Quintet is set in medieval Palermo, a
Muslim city rivalling Baghdad and Cordoba in size and splendour. The year
is 1153. The Normans are ruling Siqqiliya, but Arab culture and language
dominate the island and the court. Sultan Rujari (King Roger) surrounds
himself with Muslim intellectuals, several concubines, and an administration
presided over by gifted eunuchs. The bishops, expecting to be at the pinnacle
of power, are angered by the decadence of the court. In this captivating
novel, Tariq Ali charts the life and loves of the medieval cartographer
Muhammed al-Idrisi. Torn between his close friendship with the sultan and
his friends who are leaving the island or plotting a resistance to Norman
rule, Idrisi finds temporary solace in the harem; but, confronted by the
common people of Noto and Catania, his conscience is troubled.
A
Sultan in Palermo is a mythic novel in which pride, greed, and lust intermingle
with resistance and greatness. Set in the past, it has haunting resonance
today. |
| ABOUT THE AUTHOR |
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Tariq Ali is a writer and filmmaker. He has written more than a dozen books on world history and politics, including, most recently, Bush in Babylon and The Clash of Fundamentalisms, as well as five novels, and scripts for both stage and screen. A new edition of his autobiographical Street-Fighting Years: An Autobiography of the Sixties, is also published by Verso. |
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© 2007 Dublin City Public Libraries
