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Book Review
Leo Africanus
by Amin Maalouf
This novel is a fictional memoir of Leo Africanus, born al-Ḥasan ibn Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad al-Wazzān al-Zayyātī al-Fasī, an Andalusian diplomat and writer. His family escapes the fall of Granada and settles in North Africa. There, he becomes both a merchant and diplomat, involved with both the business and politics of the coastal Muslim states. He is eventually captured by the Spanish and taken to Rome, where he becomes a member of Pope Leo X's court.
Maalouf fills in the gaps in what is known of al-Hasan, exploring his relationships with his family, his wives and mistresses, and political figures like the pirate Barbarossa and Sultan Muhammad II of Fez. He also paints a rich picture of the Muslim world of the early 16th century, where the Spanish and the Ottomans are vying for control of North Africa. al-Hasan is very much a traveler, never settling too long in one place and holding his relationships and connections lightly. He is intelligent, observant, and adaptable, as well as an engaging narrator. His story shows one way of moving through and thriving in a very troubled time and place.
by Amin Maalouf
This novel is a fictional memoir of Leo Africanus, born al-Ḥasan ibn Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad al-Wazzān al-Zayyātī al-Fasī, an Andalusian diplomat and writer. His family escapes the fall of Granada and settles in North Africa. There, he becomes both a merchant and diplomat, involved with both the business and politics of the coastal Muslim states. He is eventually captured by the Spanish and taken to Rome, where he becomes a member of Pope Leo X's court.
Maalouf fills in the gaps in what is known of al-Hasan, exploring his relationships with his family, his wives and mistresses, and political figures like the pirate Barbarossa and Sultan Muhammad II of Fez. He also paints a rich picture of the Muslim world of the early 16th century, where the Spanish and the Ottomans are vying for control of North Africa. al-Hasan is very much a traveler, never settling too long in one place and holding his relationships and connections lightly. He is intelligent, observant, and adaptable, as well as an engaging narrator. His story shows one way of moving through and thriving in a very troubled time and place.