Amin Maalouf (Arabic: ; alternate spelling Amin Maluf) is a Lebanese journalist and novelist. He writes and publishes primarily in French.
Most of Maalouf's books have a historical setting, and like Umberto Eco, Orhan Pamuk, and Arturo P茅rez-Reverte, Maalouf mixes fascinating historical facts with fantasy and philosophical ideas. In an interview Maalouf has said that his role as a writer is to create "positive myths". Maalouf's works, written with the skill of a master storyteller, offer a sensitive view of the values and attitudes of different cultures in the Middle East, Africa and Mediterranean world.
Samarkand is a 1988 historical fiction novel by the French-Lebanese writer Amin Maalouf.
The first half of the story is set in Persia (present day Iran) and Central Asia in the 11th century, and revolves around the scientist, philosopher, and poet Omar Khayy谩m.
It recounts the creation of his Rubaiyat throughout the history of the Seljuk Empire, his interactions with historical figures such as Vizir Nizam al-Mulk and Hassan al-Sabbah of the order of the Assassins, and his love affair with a female poet of the Samarkand court.
The second half of the story documents the efforts of a fictional American named Benjamin O. Lesage to obtain the (fictional) original copy of the Rubaiyat, witnessing Persian history throughout the Persian Constitutional Revolution of 1905-1907, only to lose this manuscript in the sinking of the RMS Titanic.
Exist膬 c膬r葲i care-葲i plac f膬r膬 s膬 fie ie葯ite din comun. 葮i exist膬 capodopere care nu-葲i plac. Samarkand nu e nici una, nici alta.
De葯i publicului i-a pl膬cut enorm, 鈥濻amarkand鈥� nu este o capodoper膬. Succesul de public nu este niciodat膬 o dovad膬 a valorii unui roman. C膬r葲ile care intr膬 卯n topurile de v卯nz膬ri, c膬r葲ile traduse imediat 卯n 40 de limbi s卯nt de obicei submediocre. Ar fi culmea s膬 fie altfel. N-o mai lungesc: 鈥濻amarkand鈥� nu mi-a pl膬cut de nici un fel. V膬 rog s膬 fi葲i 卯ng膬duitori fa葲膬 de aceast膬 antipatie. Poate am avut a葯tept膬ri prea 卯nalte. Nu-i exclus...
Biografia lui Omar Khayyam e redactat膬 卯n stilul unui publicist gr膬bit, c卯nd fic葲iune, c卯nd reportaj. Am g膬sit, 卯n Samarkand, portretul unui om 葯ters, lipsit de orice pasiune, un mic hedonist doar pe jum膬tate viu. Iubirea lui pentru intriganta Djahane, poeta care nu 葯tie s膬 citeasc膬 (dar 葯tie s膬 recite minunat), nu-l readuce la via葲膬. Cronica despre 鈥瀞ecta asasinilor鈥� - 卯nfiin葲at膬 de ismailitul Hasan Sabbah din Kom, un ambi葲ios sangvinar - nu mi-a st卯rnit nici cel mai vag entuziasm. Restul romanului este o poveste contorsionat膬 despre un manuscris cu poezii (rubaiatele lui Khayyam, caligrafiate de el 卯nsu葯i) - ajuns, 卯n cele din urm膬, pe fundul oceanului Atlantic, undeva 卯n largul insulei Terra Nova.
Nu neg c膬 unele pasaje i-ar putea 鈥瀎ermeca鈥� pe cititorii slabi de 卯nger, pe cei care viseaz膬 la o iubire definitiv膬, irepetabil膬. 脦nchei cronica mea (cam) nervoas膬 cu acest citat sapien葲ial, 卯n fond, o imens膬 banalitate 鈥瀙oetic膬鈥�:
鈥�- S膬 cercet膬m chestiunea 卯ndeaproape: dac膬 l膬s膬m deoparte nevestele care se plictisesc, sclavele care se supun, femeile de strad膬 care se v卯nd sau se 卯nchiriaz膬, fecioarele care suspin膬, c卯te femei mai r膬m卯n, c卯te ibovnice se vor 卯nt卯lni 卯n aceast膬 noapte cu b膬rba牛ii pe care 艧i i-au ales? Tot astfel, c卯牛i b膬rba牛i dorm al膬turi de femeia pe care o iubesc, mai cu seam膬 al膬turi de o femeie care li se d膬ruie艧te din alt motiv dec卯t acela c膬 n-are 卯ncotro? Cine 艧tie, poate c膬 卯n aceast膬 noapte, la Samarkand nu exist膬 dec卯t o iubit膬, poate c膬 nu exist膬 dec卯t un iubit. De ce tu, de ce eu, vei spune? Pentru c膬 Dumnezeu ne-a f膬cut 卯ndr膬gosti牛i, a艧a cum a f膬cut anumite flori otr膬vitoare鈥�.
S膬 re葲inem credin葲a 卯n fatalitatea iubirii. Nu instinctul nostru alege, ci o instan葲膬 de dincolo de noi. Poate e mai bine a葯a.
one of the best historical novel that i have read,an extraordinary one,i really admire it,,,, the passionate love story of Omar Khayyam and Jahan the poet at the court of Samarkand and this nine-years love that end in the most tragic way.... before reading this novel i only thought that Omar Khayyam was only a great persian poet,and surprisingly i discovered he was philosopher and teacher,Astronomer Mathematician and ALGEBRA LEADER and agreat scientist..... alot of historical information about Seljuq emperors ,Genghis Khan and the Mongol invasions that resulted in the destruction of cities like Rey,Balkh and Merv and BAGHDAD..... Hassan-Sabbah and his castle Alamut the misconception between the two terms Hashshashin and Assassins.... soo many historical knowledge ,will make me pick many books to read more about all this stuff...
THE debate about wether the Rub谩iy谩t was his or attributed to him... if it was his ,was it symbolic for sufi teaching.... Shireen, the persian princess who cannot face life without the manuscript, deserts her American lover , and he keeps reading her letters to be sure that this love story has ever existed one day.....!
Pray tell, who has not transgressed Your Law? Pray tell the purpose of a sinless life
If with evil You punish the evil I have done Pray tell, what is the difference between You and me? - Omar Khayyam
An enchantingly written novel The first half of which is based on the life of the great sage, , at the beginning of the last millennium with the second part dedicated to the story of our narrator near the end of it. The peoples and setting are expertly orchestrated and lifelike; quite magical for the eleventh and nineteenth century placement.
Highly recommended for historical fiction lovers wanting to enjoy some orientalism.
I read the English translation of this French language original, first published in 1988. It鈥檚 structured as a novel in two parts.
Part 1 is set in the Islamic world of the 11th century CE, and is based around 3 historical characters. The lead character is Omar Khayyam, known today in the west as a poet, but who in his own time was better known as an astronomer. The novel has the idea of a youthful friendship between Omar and Hassan-i-Sabbah, who later founded the sect of the Assassins. The third main character is Nizam al-Mulk, Grand Vizier of the Seljuk Empire. In the book he is acquainted with both Omar and Hassan. There is a fourth significant character, a poetess called Jahan, who becomes Omar鈥檚 lover. As far as I can tell Jahan is a fictional character. There was apparently a Persian poetess who wrote under this name, but she lived in the 14th century. If she is the basis for the character in the book, then the author has used artistic licence to move her timeline forward by 3 centuries and make her the lover of Omar. I don鈥檛 mind devices like that in a work of fiction.
Omar is the only one of the four who is uninterested in political power and influence. For him life is about knowledge, poetry and the sensuality of his relationship with Jahan. 鈥溾€he qualities needed to govern are not those which are needed in order to accede to power. In order to run things smoothly one must forget oneself and only be interested in others 鈥� particularly the most unfortunate; to get into power, one must be the greediest of men, think only of oneself, and be ready to crush one鈥檚 closest friends.鈥�
It seemed to me there were some themes relevant to modern times. Early in the book Omar is threatened by a mob of religious fanatics who have a hatred of 鈥減hilosophers鈥�. The Sect of the Assassins are effective because their agents are unafraid of death. They welcome it as martyrdom and the way to Paradise. The differing priorities of the 4 lead characters gradually pull them apart, and eventually Omar will say of his former friend Hassan, 鈥淚 love life. He loves death.鈥�
Part 2 is set during the early 20th century. An American orientalist, Benjamin Lesage, travels to Persia in search of the original manuscript of Khayyam鈥檚 Rubaiyat, and has an improbable relationship with a princess called Shireen. By this time Persia is weak, and again the novel addresses the divide within the Islamic World between modernisers and traditionalists. At one point Shireen writes to Lesage that: 鈥淧ersia is sick. There are several doctors at her bedside, some modern, some traditional.鈥� The story takes place against the background of 鈥淭he Persian Constitutional Revolution鈥� of 1906, an event of which I had not previously heard. For a short time, reformers manage to establish a Parliament and a Constitution, but they are opposed by the country鈥檚 religious establishment, as well as by the Russian and British Empires.
I think I preferred Part I to Part II. In terms of my personal enjoyment, four stars for the former and three for the latter. I suppose that makes 3.5 which I am rounding up to four. I did enjoy the book, I think more so because it was a different setting from the books I normally read, and the author provides a rich background to the story.
I wrote down 12 quotes from this book when I read it back in 1999 -- clearly I loved it. Of course, I am sure that a great deal of that love came from being in Central Asia at the time and having been to Samarkand. It's a fictional story about the Rubiyaat and Omar Khayyam.
p. 26 "Time ... has two dimensions, its length is measured by the rhythm of the sun but its depth by the rhythm of passion."
p. 81 "...the qualities needed to govern are not those which are needed in order to accede to power. In order to run things smoothly, one must forget oneself and only be interested in others -- particularly the most unfortunate; to get into power, one must be the greediest of men, think only of oneself and be ready to crush one's closest friends. I, however, will not crush anyone."
p. 108 "In my opinion, any cause which involves killing no longer attracts me. It becomes unattractive to me, it becomes sordid and debased, no matter how beautiful it may have been. No cause can be just when it allies itself to death."
p. 299 "It was said that a half-mad king had condemned Nasruddin (Hodja)to death for having stolen an ass. Just as he was about to be led off for execution he exclaimed: 'That beast is in reality my brother. A magician made him look like that, but if he were entrusted to me for a year I would teach him to speak like us again!' Intrigued, the monarch made the accused repeat his promise before decreeing: 'Very well! But if within one year from today the ass does not speak, you will be executed!' As he went out, Nasruddin was accosted by his wife: 'How can you make a promise like that? You know very well that this ass will not speak.' 'Of course I know,' replied Nasruddin, 'but during the year the king might die, the ass might or even I might.'"
YouTube kanal谋mda Semerkant kitab谋n谋n da i莽inde bulundu臒u kitapl谋k turu videomu izleyebilirsiniz:
Daha 枚nceden hi莽 denemedi臒im 艧ekilde bir inceleme yazmak istedim. Bu kitap ve yazar谋 hakk谋nda hissettiklerimi grafik 艧eklinde anlatmaktan ba艧ka 莽arem yok, size bu kitab谋 ve yazar谋n 3 kitap sonunda bana hissettirdiklerini anca b枚yle anlatabilirim.
Hayat谋mda ilk kez parabol bir yazar okuyorum. Amin Maalouf tam bir parabol yazar bence, kitaplar谋n谋n edebi kalitesi zamanla bir parabol gibi y眉ksekten a艧a臒谋ya d眉艧眉yor ve kitaplar谋 枚zelinde de bu edebi haz b枚l眉mler aras谋nda yava艧 yava艧 d眉艧眉艧e ge莽iyor.
Bu durumu 艧u grafikle yans谋tmak istedim:
G枚r眉ld眉臒眉 gibi, edebi haz anlam谋nda 1986 y谋l谋nda 莽谋kan Afrikal谋 Leo kitab谋yla birlikte 1988 y谋l谋ndaki Semerkant ile d眉艧眉艧e ge莽en ve 1996 y谋l谋ndaki Do臒u'nun Limanlar谋 办颈迟补产谋苍诲补 bana tam olarak edebiyat felaketi ya艧atan parabol眉, bundan ba艧ka anlatabilecek 艧ans谋m yoktu 莽眉nk眉.
Di臒er bir grafi臒imiz de Amin Maalouf'un bu kitab谋, yani Semerkant 眉zerine:
Amin Maalouf'ta bir sorun var, adam ger莽ekten 莽ok 艧ey biliyor ve iyi bir okur oldu臒unu d眉艧眉n眉yorum. Tarafs谋z tarih anlat谋c谋l谋臒谋, farkl谋 toplumlar谋n do臒rular谋ndan bakabilme 枚zelli臒i ve Do臒u'nun eksiklerinin neler oldu臒unu ger莽ekten isabetli konu se莽imleriyle anlatmay谋 bilen bir adam. Ama konu edebiyata ve okuruna verdi臒i hazza gelince, orada durmak gerek.
Semerkant kitab谋n谋n yar谋s谋ndan 枚ncesini ba艧ka bir yazar, yar谋s谋ndan sonras谋n谋 ise ba艧ka bir yazar yazm谋艧 gibi sanki. Bir yazar kendi kitab谋 i莽erisinde nas谋l bu kadar farkl谋la艧abiliyor anlayabilmi艧 de臒ilim. 173. sayfadan 枚nce 脰mer Hayyam, Rubaileri, Hasan Sabbah ve Alamut Kalesi 艧eklinde harika bir tarihsel ger莽ek莽i anlat谋mla kar艧谋la艧谋rken 173. sayfadan sonra inan谋lmaz s谋k谋c谋 bir edebi kurmacayla kar艧谋m谋zda Benjamin'i ve onun 陌ran an谋lar谋n谋, Amerikan himayesini falan buluyoruz. B枚yle olunca insan谋n akl谋na, Maalouf i莽in yapt谋臒谋m edebiyat parabolleri gibi paras谋 zaman ge莽tik莽e bol olmaya do臒ru giden bir yazar谋n Do臒u'nun Limanlar谋 办颈迟补产谋苍诲补 nas谋l k枚t眉 psikolojik 莽枚z眉mlemeler ve sava艧 mekanlar谋 tasviri yapt谋臒谋n谋 g枚r眉yorum.
Tekrar Semerkant'taki parabole geri d枚necek olursak, ayn谋 Stefan Zweig'谋n G枚m眉l眉 艦amdan 办颈迟补产谋苍诲补 Menora'y谋 arayan din adamlar谋 gibi burada da Hayyam'谋n yazmas谋n谋n arand谋臒谋 bir kurgu kar艧谋l谋yor bizi. Onlarca hatta y眉zlerce sayfa Hayyam'谋n yazmas谋n谋 bulabilmek i莽in u臒ra艧an Benjamin, yazmay谋 buldu臒unda d眉nyan谋n en mutlu insan谋 olaca臒谋n谋 belirtmesine ra臒men hi莽 de 枚yle davranm谋yor. Hatta o kadar sayfa amac谋na do臒ru tutkuyla giden adam yazmayla olan zaman ge莽irmesini sadece 2-3 paragrafla anlat谋yor. Amin Maalouf'un eksi臒i de zaten burada. Adam谋n ger莽ekten tarih konusunda 莽ok bilgisi var ve dedi臒im gibi iyi bir okur. Fakat insanlar谋n duygular谋n谋 yans谋tmakta ve kurgu aras谋nda ge莽i艧ler yapmakta ger莽ekten 莽ok ba艧ar谋s谋z bence.
陌lk b枚l眉m眉ne 5 puan verip yar谋s谋ndan sonraki ikinci b枚l眉m眉ne 1 puan verdi臒im bu kitap, Maalouf konusunda d眉艧眉ncelerimin biraz biraz oturmas谋n谋 da sa臒lad谋. San谋r谋m yazarlar gelirleri artt谋k莽a daha ticari kayg谋ya hitap eden kitaplar yazmaya ba艧l谋yorlar. Misal olarak Afrikal谋 Leo kitab谋yla Do臒unun Limanlar谋 kitab谋 aras谋nda fersah fersah fark var. Semerkant kitab谋 da arada derede kalm谋艧, Hayyam ve Sabbah'谋n g枚z眉nden tarih anlat谋c谋l谋臒谋yla bu durumu biraz kurtaran bir kitap.
Asl谋nda bu parabol yazarl谋k pek 莽ok ki艧ide var gibi. Misal olarak Z眉lf眉 Livaneli'nin erken d枚nem kitaplar谋ndan Son Ada, Serenad gibi kitaplar nispeten iyiyken, Karde艧imin Hikayesi 办颈迟补产谋苍诲补 kurmacada g枚ze 莽arpan eksiklikler ve Livaneli'nin retorik kayg谋s谋, yerini Huzursuzluk 办颈迟补产谋苍诲补ki inan谋lmaz edebi bo艧luklara ve ticari kayg谋ya b谋rak谋yor. Elif 艦afak'谋n erken d枚nem eserleriyle Havva'n谋n 脺莽 K谋z谋 aras谋ndaki fark gibi belki.
Her yazardan Dostoyevski olmas谋n谋 bekleyip Karamazov Karde艧ler'e kadar do臒ru orant谋l谋 olarak edebi hazz谋 y眉kselen bir edebiyat parabol眉 莽izmesini beklemiyorum. Fakat bu kitab谋n 2. b枚l眉m眉 hi莽 yaz谋lmasayd谋 verece臒im puan谋n 5 olmas谋n谋 g枚rmeyi ve 2. b枚l眉mdeki inan谋lmaz kar谋艧谋kl谋臒谋, 1. b枚l眉m ile olan alakas谋zl谋klar谋, tarihsel ger莽ek莽ilikten uzakla艧谋p b眉t眉n 眉lkelerin k枚t眉 olu艧u fakat sadece Amerika'n谋n iyi olu艧u gibi konular谋 da g枚rmemeyi arzulard谋m.
Harikulade bir roman daha. Bug眉nlerde 莽ok g眉zel 艧eyler okuyorum 眉st 眉ste.
Bin y谋l谋 kapsayan koca bir 枚yk眉, tesad眉flere zorlanan hakiki karakterler, 20. y眉zy谋l谋n oryantalist k眉lt眉r destekli bak谋艧 a莽谋s谋 ve inand谋r谋c谋 bir a艧k hikayesi. Tekmili birden bu kitapta!
脰mer Hayyam, Hasan Sabbah, Nizam眉lm眉lk ana ekseninde ilerliyor, 枚zellikle kitab谋n bin y谋l 枚ncesini anlatan b枚l眉m, yanlar谋nda da tabii ki bir dolu yan karakter. Do臒unun 陌slam'la hen眉z 枚rselenmemi艧 olan b眉t眉n mistisizmi iliklerimize i艧liyor. 陌sfahan'da, Tebriz'de, Ni艧apur'da y眉r眉yoruz enikonu. 陌kinci k谋s谋mda ise Titanic'le ba艧layan ve yine hakiki karakterlerle bezenen, bu kez Molla y枚netimi sonras谋 -ve asl谋nda maalesef bir de 枚ncesi- modern 陌ran'谋n kurulu艧una, bir devrime tan谋kl谋k ediyoruz. Hakikaten insan谋 sanki bir u莽an hal谋ya bindirip her yere s眉r眉kl眉yor kitap. M眉thi艧 ak谋c谋 ve etkileyici. 脰臒retti臒i 艧eyler de cabas谋.
"Eskileri ele alal谋m. Yunanl谋lar谋, Hintlileri, benden 枚nceki M眉sl眉manlar谋. T眉m bu konularda pek 莽ok kitap yazd谋lar. Yazd谋klar谋n谋 yineleyecek olursam, benim i艧im nafile olur. Onlara kar艧谋 莽谋ksam, ki bunu hep istedim, benden sonrakiler de bana kar艧谋 莽谋kacaklar. Bilginlerin yazd谋klar谋ndan geriye, yar谋n ne kalacak? Kendilerinden 枚nce gelenleri karalamalar谋. Ba艧kalar谋n谋n kuramlar谋n谋 nas谋l y谋kt谋klar谋 belki an谋msanacakt谋r ama kendi kurduklar谋 kuramlar da ba艧kalar谋 taraf谋ndan y谋k谋lacakt谋r, hatta ard谋ndan gelenlerce alaya al谋nacakt谋r. Bilinen yasad谋r bu; 艧iirde b枚yle bir yasa yoktur, sonraki ondan 枚ncekini asla yads谋maz, ard谋ndan gelen de onu yads谋maz! Y眉zy谋llar谋, b眉y眉k bir rahatl谋kla a艧ar. 陌艧te bunun i莽in Rubaiyat'谋 yaz谋yorum. Bilimde beni hayran b谋rakan nedir bilir misin? Onda, 艧iirin y眉celi臒ini bulurum, matematikte say谋lar谋n ba艧 d枚nd眉r眉c眉 tad谋n谋, astronomide evrenin gizemli m谋r谋lt谋s谋n谋. Ama bana ger莽ek olandan l眉tfen s枚z etmeyin!"
diyor 脰mer, bir de 枚l眉m眉 o kadar g眉zel tan谋ml谋yor ki bir yerde:
I learned of this book through the MiddleEast/NorthAfrica group here at 欧宝娱乐. Otherwise I would have missed out on a very interesting and fascinating trip through medieval and late 19th/early 20th century Persia or Iran. Though this is historical fiction, I feel as if I have been given an introduction into the Iranian past, an introduction that helps to explain some of the present.
The primary focus is Omar Khayyam and his book, the Rubaiyaat. Khayyam was a philosopher, poet, consultant to leaders, astrologer, scientist of his day. The first half of the book outlines his life, the politics of his time and some of his writings. In the second half, we are transported to more modern times, to a Persia in a state of unrest, and to a search for the Rubaiyaat which has not been seen for centuries.
This book was originally written in French but I must agree with others who have praised the English translation. It flows and draws the reader (at least this reader) in.
Ho aperto il libro leccandomi i baffi - sia perch茅 il titolo 猫 gi脿 abbastanza evocativo in s茅, poi per la citazione di Poe in epigrafe: "E ora, lascia vagare il tuo sguardo su Samarcanda! Non 猫 forse la regina della Terra? Fiera, al di sopra di tutte le citt脿, e nelle sue mani i loro destini?", e infine scoprendo che la voce narrante inizia a raccontare a partire dal 1912, la stessa epoca in cui sono ambientate tutte le mie letture di quest'estate - ma stanotte lo ho terminato con una piccola punta di delusione: mi aspettavo una lettura straordinaria, da 5/5, e invece manca un po' di mordente. Arriva sempre molto vicino all'essere completamente avvolgente e avvincente, ma per un motivo o per l'altro manca sempre l'ultimo passettino verso la perfezione.
In ogni caso, lettura che merita attenzione e che non pu貌 meritare meno di 4 stelle. La mescolanza di verit脿 storiche con invenzione 猫 semplice eppure molto ben congegnata. Va decisamente ad appaiarsi con due letture significative della primavera dello scorso anno: La casa della moschea di Kader Abdolah e La scelta di Sudabeh di Javadi Fattaneh Haj Seyed. Non solo tre libri consigliati, ma consiglierei proprio di leggerli insieme o comunque tutti di fila.
La prima parte, ambientata nella Persia del XI sec. 猫 certamente quella pi霉 sentita dall'autore: anche a distanza di tanti anni, non ho faticato a riconoscere la stessa mano de Le crociate viste dagli arabi. In questa prima parte si imparer脿 qualcosa sulla storia di Omar Kayyam di Nishapur: matematico, medico, fisico, astronomo e astrologo oltre che poeta, e che avevo gi脿 trovato nel libro dello stesso Maalouf citato appena qui sopra. E si apprende anche della popolare storia (come sempre leggasi: leggenda con fondo di verit脿) di Hassan Sabbah, con la fortezza di Alamut e l'ordine degli Assassini: di questi avevo gi脿 letto in Baudolino di Eco, il quale certamente non 猫 l'ultimo arrivato in fatto di storia medioevale, ma in questo romanzo di Maalouf ho trovato nuovi e interessanti risvolti storici ed etimologici. Sarebbe improprio descrivere questa prima parte del libro come una ipotetica "milleduesima notte"; piuttosto 猫 corretto dire che la prima parte di Samarcanda 猫 una raccolta di Mille e una notte in miniatura: 猫 un contenitore di tante storie, tante ambientazioni, tutte incastrate l'una nell'altra, su pi霉 livelli temporali e spaziali, che sfrutta tutte le dimensioni possibili per estendersi e dispiegarsi. Per quanto i personaggi restino sempre un poco algidi, una soddisfacente parte di emozioni la si ricava da ambientazioni e atmosfere.
Con la seconda parte, oltre al tema del fascino dell'oriente e della storia medioevale, subentrano i temi della storia moderna della Persia/Iran, il tema del "mal d'oriente" negli occidentali e una insospettabile (nonch茅 sempre attualissima) virata verso i temi della Resistenza e della primavera araba. In questa seconda parte si far脿 conoscenza pi霉 da vicino con il personaggio di fantasia che 猫 la voce narrante del romanzo e si seguiranno le sue scorribande in lungo e in largo tra America, Europa e Asia, tra la fine del XIX e l'inizio del XX sec. Tutto sommato riesce a essere abbastanza evocativa e di atmosfera anche questa seconda ambientazione, gi脿 solo il fatto di applicare il tema del viaggio alla fine del XIX secolo 猫 estremamente coerente e realistico.
Maalouf scrive in francese, ed il titolo originale del romanzo 猫 Samarcande, tradotto pari-pari in italiano. Il frontespizio all'interno, per貌, porta il titolo Il manoscritto di Samarcanda, ed 猫 effettivamente questo il titolo pi霉 appropriato, non vi si racconter脿 tanto della citt脿 quando di una storia che da l矛 ha avuto origine.
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