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Loading... The Storyteller's Tale (2008)| 24 | 3 | 954,092 | 
(3.75) | 3 | While Afghan warlord Ahmed Shah Abdali plunders 18th century Delhi, a wandering storyteller fleeing the carnage happens across an isolated casbah a day's ride from the city. When the beautiful and lonely lady of the manor invites him to stay and share a story, his grief at the destruction of his glorious city spills forth in a story of two brothers, Taka and Wara - wolf and boy - a tale of love and loyalty, hurt and distrust. The storyteller is amazed when the lady, or Begum, responds with a tale of her own, of Aresh and Barab, and a friendship that transcends death. Transfixed by their storytelling duel and shocked by the discovery of forbidden love, the pair draw out their stories in order to delay the moment of their parting. Part fable, part fantasy, The Storyteller's Tale captures the twilight of the Mughals and transports the reader to the stunning setting of an unforgettable brief encounter. Adapting ancient traditions of storytelling, skilfully weaving history and the lives of ordinary people in a landscape of war and devastation, Ahmad's finely drawn tale draws from the great folklore traditions of One Thousand and One Nights and the Tales of Genji.… (more) |
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For Olivia, with affection  | |
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They had destroyed his house. | |
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▾References References to this work on external resources.  Wikipedia in English
None ▾Book descriptions While Afghan warlord Ahmed Shah Abdali plunders 18th century Delhi, a wandering storyteller fleeing the carnage happens across an isolated casbah a day's ride from the city. When the beautiful and lonely lady of the manor invites him to stay and share a story, his grief at the destruction of his glorious city spills forth in a story of two brothers, Taka and Wara - wolf and boy - a tale of love and loyalty, hurt and distrust. The storyteller is amazed when the lady, or Begum, responds with a tale of her own, of Aresh and Barab, and a friendship that transcends death. Transfixed by their storytelling duel and shocked by the discovery of forbidden love, the pair draw out their stories in order to delay the moment of their parting. Part fable, part fantasy, The Storyteller's Tale captures the twilight of the Mughals and transports the reader to the stunning setting of an unforgettable brief encounter. Adapting ancient traditions of storytelling, skilfully weaving history and the lives of ordinary people in a landscape of war and devastation, Ahmad's finely drawn tale draws from the great folklore traditions of One Thousand and One Nights and the Tales of Genji. ▾Library descriptions No library descriptions found. ▾LibraryThing members' description
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The Begum’s story, her challenge, had taken him by surprise. It had been so very long since somebody had matched him and, truth be told, outstripped him. He hadn’t imagined being bested. What a shocking joy it was to be defeated, to be in love again.
It is the 1700s and the forces of Ahmad Shah Abdali have destroyed the glorious city of Delhi. Abandoned by fate and fortune, a storyteller finds himself at an isolated casbah a day’s ride from the city. When the Begum of the casbah invites him to stay and share a story, he tells her the tale of two brothers, Taka and Wara—wolf and boy—a tale of love and loyalty, and the hurt, fear and distrust that come when love remains unrecognized.
The Begum is provoked into responding with a story of her own—the tale of Aresh and Barab and a friendship that transcends death. What follows in this many-layered tale is a duel of narratives, each reinforcing something different—love, loyalty, friendship, anguish, need, betrayal, sacrifice and loss; each tale drawing the Begum and the storyteller deeper into a forbidden desire; each story transporting the reader to an unforgettable world. | |
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In the first real sentence of the book I already encountered a word I did not know. So... I started looking for a glossary in the back of the book. But there's not. In the acknowledgements I again find two words that I don't know without explanation.
I'm very annoyed with that. When you write a book, you should expect that it is also read by people that do not know Urdu or Arabic. So please, add a list of foreign words used in the book with their meaning and/or an explanation!
Review
Despite the critical words I wrote for a first impression, I liked the rest of the book. It reminded me of a book I read (and re-read many times) when I was a child, about the middle ages in Holland, minstrels and storytellers that wandered from castle to castle with news, stories and music.
The stting is of course totally different, but the stories that were imbedded in the whole story were good. Interesting and thought-provoking.
Don't think I will re-read is, because there are many other books waiting to be read, but I do recommend it! (