Azazeel

Azazeel is the kind of historical fiction that I love but find so rarely: a story set during a time of upheaval, a long gone era and place we do not know much about; and it is also a human story of faith and doubt, of the nature of good and evil, of love and devotion; with the ultimate message that fanatism of any kind is evil. "Killing people in the name of religion does not make it religious."

Hypa, our 5th century Egyptian Coptic monk is a devout Christian, yet also a sensitive man who cannot reconcile his faith with the atrocities he sees committed by Christians in Alexandria. His belief is also tested by his two passionate love affairs in his life, twenty years apart from his life, both beautifully rendered. He is also a physician, show more a book lover, a man of learning.

One of his defining moments in life is being present at the brutal murder of Hypatia of Alexandria by a Christian mob in 415. Hypatia was the leader of the scientific academy in Alexandria, well-known, respected, erudite, dignified. Hypa is fascinated by her, and his sense of loss is profound when she is murdered. Hypatia's murder is a turnaround in history - many people hold that it started the decline of the Hellenistic art and sciences in Alexandria.

The other historical figure in Hypa's life is his mentor, Nestorius, who became bishop of Constantinople in 428, and was excommunicated for "heresy" in 431. Nestorius had a highly technical theological dispute with Cyril, the bishop of Alexandria, and lost. (Look it up if you are interested.)

The book is beautifully written often lyrical, dreamlike; Hypa is somewhat naive and often struggles to make sense of these events. His inner voice becomes Azazeel - the devil - who tempts him, but also prompts him to write, and to fulfil himself. Good and evil is all inside us, so is God and the devil - he concludes. What matters is what we believe.

This is a wonderful novel, I highly recommend it to all historical fiction lovers. show less

Ambientato nel 4 secolo dopo Cristo racconta la vita di un monaco egiziano che si trova ad affrontare le lotte, violente e sanguinose, all'interno della chiesa. Lotte che hanno portato a scismi ed eresie a cui il monaco assiste più come spettatore che come partecipante. Pur raccontando di lotte e violenze e drammi interiori del monaco a seguito di amori, questi rimane tenacemente attaccato alla chiesa e alla sua essenzialità. Pur essendo scritto da un islamico il libro dimostra un rispetto e, direi, un affetto per la bellezza della Chiesa dei primi secoli. La visione storica è corretta e, purtroppo, fa capire come mai 2 secoli dopo su una chiesa dilaniata da lotte e violenze abbia avuto facile fascino la predicazione di Maometto, pur show more non parlandone per nulla nel libro. Un affresco storico corretto e interessante, scritto con maestria e coinvolgente.
Va detto che questo scrittore è considerato uno degli intellettuali più autorevoli in Egitto e uno dei pensatori che sta appoggiando la lotta contro il deposto presidente islamista a capo della "fratellanza islamica", i giornali italiani nel presentare questo scrittore dicono di questo libro che è paragonabile al "nome della rosa" per l'ambientazione storica e per il fatto che ci sia protagonista un monaco. Niente di più errato. Non è un polpettone come il libro dello scrittore che tanto piace al mainstream italico e non c'entra nulla ne come trama ne come idea. show less

رواية عزازيل للكاتب يوسف زيدان ،هي عبارة عن سيرة ذاتية للراهب المسيحي المصري هيبا، والذي عاش في الفترة المضطربة من التاريخ المسيحي الكنسي في أوائل القرن الخامس الميلادي والتي تلتها انقسامات هائلة بين الكنائس الكبري وذلك للخلاف حول طبيعة المسيح.
كتب الراهب هيبا رقوقة مدفوعا بطلب من عزازيل أي "الشيطان"

الرواية تمتاز في كثير من مواضعها بلغة شعرية .مكتوبة بحسايسة مرهفة تمتزج فيها العاطفة بالمتعة، وخطير لأنه show more يتضمن دراسة في نشأة وتطور الصراع المذهبي بين الطوائف المسيحية في المشرق
يوسف زيدان هو أول روائي مسلم، يكتب عن اللاهوت المسيحي بشكل روائي عميق. وهو أول مسلم، يُحاول أن يعطي حلولا لمشكلات كنسية كبرى

وهي رواية تأخذ الجانب التاريخي بشكل كبير جدا مستشهدا فيها بأدلة وغيرها، الأمر الذي لم استحسنه في هذه الرواية
بدت بإثارة كبيرة لتنتهي بغرابة أكبر!!! show less

A nice read but a bit overrated. Perhaps it has its historical significance which eludes me. Nonetheless, a not-so-bad not-that-good read. A monk in turmoil between the joys of life (for a monk he was getting lots of joys) & the calling of the higher cause.

I gave up after 15% :(

I very rarely abandon a book but I was really getting nothing out of this. As it says in the Product Description above, Youssef Ziedan is an Egyptian scholar who specializes in Arabic and Islamic studies. This does not surprise me at all, the book read very much like a study of the ideologies behind the early Christian Church, spoken through the mouth of the main character, a monk named Hypa. What did surprise me though, was that this book was originally written in Arabic and therefore read by a predominantly Muslim audience.

Hypa, a Coptic monk, has lived through many of the tumultous events of the early Christian Church. It is the fifth century AD and he is writing everything down on a series of scrolls to be show more buried and discovered at some future time; a monk's version of a time capsule. He is also trying to work out within himself, what he does and does not believe.

This would be a book that would interest scholars of comparative religions and students of theology, but I found it too laborious and rambling. Hypa spends much of his time in prayer and supplication, attempting to resist the urgings of the Devil (Azazeel of the title), and more of his time discussing theological issues with other experts, such as Bishop Nestorius. There are apparently some more exciting scenes further on, with the violent murder of Hypatia and Hypa's lusting after a pagan woman, Octavia, but I'm calling it a day. show less

كنت قد احترتُ في كتابة مراجعة لهذه الرواية إلى أن مرّت بي هذه الصورة .. هي تلخص كثير من معاناة الإنسان .. معاناة هيبا بين إيمان القلب و العاطفة التي تجذبه نحو ما تربى و عاش عليه و تلقاه من البيئة المحيطة به، و بين عقله الذي يحاول إيجاد أدلة على ما يعتقده ليزداد إيمانا و يطمئن القلب .. الإنسان في هذه الدنيا يحاول أن يجد الإتزان المناسب أثناء سيره في هذه الحياة المتعبة كي يصل لنهاية الطريق بأمان!

انا لم استمتع بالرواية بالرغم من حبى للروايات التاريخية
لم اشعر ان اسلوبها روائى هى اقرب الى السرد التاريخى, ظل يوسف زيدان طوال الرواية يستشهد بنصوص كى يؤكد ان معلوماته صادقة كنت افضل ان تتسم الرواية بمزيد من التلقائية احسست انى اقرا كتاب تاريخى وليس رواية