![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Book Review
Jan. 20th, 2025 04:30 pmThe Book of Saladin
by Tariq Ali
This book takes place during the last decade of Saladin's life and is told from the perspective of Ibn Yakub, a Jewish scribe Saladin engages to record his biography by taking down his memoirs and recording his life going forward. In addition to working with Saladin, Ibn Yakub also records the stories of several members of Saladin's court and family.
The Book of Saladin gives an intimate portrait of Saladin and his world. We see his relationships with his family and associates, his approaches to war and governance, and his vibrant personality. Ali presents a very complex, sometimes earthy, and often humorous picture of the late 12th century Middle East. I really loved the way Ali wove together the stories of Saladin and the members of his court, including the narrator. It made for a more lively and multi-faceted story than a more straightforward biographical novel would have. It especially gave a more complex and down-to-earth picture of Saladin. Plus, it gave a structural parallel to the ways in which neither the Muslims nor the Christians of the time were political monoliths and how much everything rested on relationships and communication.
by Tariq Ali
This book takes place during the last decade of Saladin's life and is told from the perspective of Ibn Yakub, a Jewish scribe Saladin engages to record his biography by taking down his memoirs and recording his life going forward. In addition to working with Saladin, Ibn Yakub also records the stories of several members of Saladin's court and family.
The Book of Saladin gives an intimate portrait of Saladin and his world. We see his relationships with his family and associates, his approaches to war and governance, and his vibrant personality. Ali presents a very complex, sometimes earthy, and often humorous picture of the late 12th century Middle East. I really loved the way Ali wove together the stories of Saladin and the members of his court, including the narrator. It made for a more lively and multi-faceted story than a more straightforward biographical novel would have. It especially gave a more complex and down-to-earth picture of Saladin. Plus, it gave a structural parallel to the ways in which neither the Muslims nor the Christians of the time were political monoliths and how much everything rested on relationships and communication.
