The Book of Saladin

Using a fictional narrator in the form of the great Sultan's scribe, Tariq Ali pieces together a brilliant mosaic of the life of the Saladin (Salah al-Din or if you prefer, Yusuf al-ud-Dn Ysuf ibn Ayyb). The Jewish scribe, Ibn Yakub, is meant to faithfully record everything the Sultan says and does. Given that Salah al-Din is about to embark on the 12th century jihad to expel the 'Franj' (their term for the Franks or Crusaders) from al-Kuds (Jerusalem), the scribe finds himself witness to many great events; war councils, battles, celebrations, and sorrows.

Salah al-Din also spins out his life's story from a wild Kurdish boyhood in Tikrit, through his uncle's rise to power under Nur-ad-Din, and the Sultan's own gradual consolidation of show more power. The tale is given added spice by his (fictional) great friend and counselor Shadhi, who adds some bawdy details that the Sultan omits. The book explores life in and around the Sultan's court and includes several historical characters such as the Sultan's brothers and nephews, and the scholar-poet and official secretary Imad Al Din. Of necessity Ali invents the female characters, in particular, Halima and Jalima, two members of the harem, but their portrayal rings true.

Ali's book is not a history of the battles - descriptions of fighting are generally sparse. Instead, Ali concentrates on the preoccupations of the Sultan and his inner circle - their thinking, feeling, and talking about jihad, food, sex, religion. The Sultan eventually bemoans the fickle devotion to the jihad of the Islamic peoples and their leaders.

A wonderfully readable book of an important figure and time in history. That the story is told from the Muslim view only makes it all the more valuable to Western readers. show less

Ali continues his Islam Quintet series with this second volume focusing on Salah-al-din (or, as westerners know him, Saladin). Through a fictional Jewish scribe invited into Saladin’s inner circle, Saladin’s life story, from his childhood to becoming a sultan, uniting the Islamic world and retaking Jerusalem, is revealed. I wasn't as engrossed in this story as I was in the first, Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree (which I highly recommend!), but the alternate Islamic perspective of this era during the Second and Third Crusades was intriguing. Each novel stands independently – one need not read them in order.

The Book of Saladin is a novel about the life of Yusaf Salah-ad-din Ibn Ayyub, known as Saladin to the Franks or Crusaders. Saladin has brought a Jewish scribe into his life for the singular purpose of writing down his memoirs. The book details his life by allowing us to hear his stories as he dictates to his scribe.

We follow not only the life of Saladin, but the life of those closest to him and the scribe as well. Thus we are given a great overview of the Muslim world from the politics and intrigues of the day, to life in and around the palaces of this sultan. Of course, the one burning issue for Saladin was the eviction of the Franks from the mid-east, especially the regaining of Jerusalem for the “True Believers”.

I found this an show more educational and enlightening read. The author manages to convey to the reader the thoughts, feelings and purpose of a Arab leader who dominated his world. The history of the Crusades is varied and covers hundreds of years. This book manages to shed light on one of the most interesting characters from the 12th century. The only drawback for me, was that the book felt very detached, more like a history textbook than a novel. show less

I certainly expected more from this when I encountered it at Twice Told back in 2004. It was by the numbers historical fiction with the standard authorial flourishes but little else. Syncretism is the order of the day. This is a reworking by Ali to meet some kinder, gentler view of the controversial figure form the Crusades: as if, there were any saintly personages in the record of such. I eventually gave this and a few other unread novels by Ali to my friend Ed.

Great historical novel, horribly edited in this edition though

Having a hard time with this. Surprisingly tedious writing. Taking a break.

Cuando un día el judío Isaac ben Yakub recibe la visita del médico Ibn Maimun –Maimónides– en su casa de El Cairo, poco sospecha que lo hace en busca de un escriba que va recogiendo de viva voz las memorias del poderoso sultán de Egipto, Salah al-Din. No es más que el comienzo de El libro de Saladino, una novela que no deja lugar al aburrimiento y que despliega ante el lector el exótico y evocador mundo de las Cruzadas y del Oriente medieval con sus florecientes ciudades –El Cairo, Damasco, Bagdad–, en las que los palacios con sus lujosos aposentos y silenciosos patios, sus harenes y eunucos, se alzan al lado de los bulliciosos barrios con sus baños y callejuelas, sus comerciantes y sus espectáculos. Junto con los show more campos de batalla, tal es el escenario en el que se desarrollan, salpicadas de pasiones e intrigas, de júbilo y tensiones, las andanzas y hazañas del gran caudillo musulmán. show less