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The Bleeding of the Stone (Interlink World Fiction)

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"It was only when he started praying that the male goats decided to butt one another right there in front of him."

I tell you, that's a fine first line. It's the kind of first line that draws the reader in, and summarizes the issues of the book: the distractions that arise as the protagonist, Asouf, focuses on God, distractions that are really all that life is made up of, for in the end, it is all the small things we face that determine our short existence on this planet. Asouf's focus thus is not so much on God, as on the desert, which he lives in, and is part of. It brings into question what it is that Asouf worships most of all.

This is an excellently written novel, and one of the few out there in English written by Middle Easterners, from a truly Middle Eastern point of view. Al Koni presents many interweaving themes, heavy on the symbolism, constant flash-backs and foreshadowing premonitions, bringing up a deep concordance with the Latin Pedro Paramo, though not quite as confusing. At times a bit too gruesome, but always very moving, very magical, very real.

And the language Al Koni writes with! Poetic prose. Vivid imagery. I saw what Al Koni described, and had to go over the words again and again, to relive the moments. "The mighty waddan was still now. He saw him raise that great head, crowned with the legendary horns, and face the mysterious thread that heralded dawn. The faint, divine glow within which the secret of life forever dwells anew."

A lot of this magic comes from the novel being steeped in folk Islam, that type of Islam imbued with many folk religious practices, practiced by the majority of Muslims around the world, but considered heretical by Islamic religious hierarchy. This thus becomes an excellent novel to understand the mind of a folk Muslim, particularly a North African- not because it gives a litany of different folk practices, but rather because the novel shows the thinking of one aware of the excluded middle of the supernatural, that between the ethical and the great God above, the movements of the supernatural that pragmatically effect the here and now. The beasts of the desert have spirits, and a greater awareness than humans. The jinn (genies) must be placated and considered before making decisions- and here, in this particular desert, they stand tall above all, seeing everything in their pictures on the rock walls. And transformation from one form to another is possible- not because it is believed, but because it is seen, and believing is seeing.

Bleeding of the Stone is also a novel of contextual environmentalism. As Al Koni builds up the stories, we receive a picture of a land wasted, a land destroyed, because the people have chosen ways removed from their soul, from the desert, and have become possessed. His use of metaphor is strong, with one of the main characters, Cain, son of Adam, representing a vast people's choice to turn from proper management and care for the desert, while Asouf chooses the right because he is part of the desert. It's a return to the constant feel of the Arab that the desert is where the true values come from, and yet the Bedouin is simultaneously revered and despised. But of course, the Lybian could not have destroyed the land, without the prominent help of a symbolic American. The archetypal Lybian can escape the Italians, but it is the American who does the real damage.

Most of all, this is a novel of redemption. Of how it is possible to restore a land, but only through the blood of one of it's own, yet one who is from beyond the desert as well, one become incarnated into a creature of the desert. It is surprising how strongly Al Koni relies on Christian metaphors- not only quoting constantly from the Taurat and Injil (Old and New Testaments), as well as the Qur'an, but focusing explicitly on the metaphor of Christ's crucifixion as placation of death, and reversal of destruction in order to bring life, that rivers might again flow in the desert. In the end, this becomes a profound novel of redemptive analogy.

Set in southwestern Libya, in what appears to be sometime in the 1960s, this quasi-mythical tale concerns Asouf, a bedouin hermit goatherd. Through leaps of time and flashbacks, we learn of his upbringing by a father who believed men to be corrupt and evil, and thus took his family to the edges of civilization to live. Unfortunately, Asouf's isolation leaves him ill-equipped when the wicked hunter Cain and his sidekick (both fellow Libyans) show up and demand to be guided to the lair of the moufflon (a wild sheep said to be extinct). The novel depicts a kind of backwoods type of Islam, in which God resides everywhere, spirits are to be placated, and charms are bartered from African magicians to protect oneself. It's an interesting view of a part of the Arab world not commonly seen, however the dive into magical realism gets far too magical for my own tastes. There is a great deal of symbolism and Biblical allusion that goes right over my head (not having read the Bible), but the central metaphor of Cain destroying his own land (with the assistance of an American military man) is clear enough, as is the Christ imagery at the end, with its apparent message of redemption. Ultimately, neither the style nor story ever really grabbed me, but perhaps those with a firmer sense of the spiritual may derive great sustenance from this tale.

A short novel here presents the dilemma of Asouf, the main character, whose bedouin sensibility (if one can say that) gives him not only great reverence for the life of the Libyan desert but also occult knowledge of it. Asouf is sought for knowledge of the secret wealth of the desert and he must decide whom to trust and how to react to these irrationaly gesticulating men who seek something they show evident disdain for, or at least a lack of respect for. The novel resembles in length and profundity certain of Ismail Kadare's novels. Al-Koni creates a stirring story with an almost-credible protagonist (though this does not seem entirely important here) whose dilemma is heavy and real, though unusually intimate. The solution is mythically dazzling and almost allows one to continue in good cheer despite the ubiquitous current of a slightly victorious greed.

Set in southwestern Libya near Ghat, "The Bleeding of the Stone" is the life story of an isolated Bedouin herdsman. Faced with the absurdities of modern life, herdsman Asouf is forced to examine every aspect of his life and beliefs in deciding how to respond. Testimony to a lifestye rapidly disappearing in Libya and elsewhere in North Africa and the Middle East, the protagonist prizes the purity and simplicy of bedouin life and identifies closely with the creatures found in the desert. The first of Ibrahim al-Koni's novels to be translated into English, it is hoped this novel will be followed by many more.

It's nice to read a modern Arabic work that for once revolved around themes other than religion and politics. This particular story focused on environmentalism, especially the delicate balance of desert ecology where, in the absence of civilization, man and beast depended directly on one another for survival. The story incorporates 'magical realism' in the form of North African Sufi folk spirituality to give explanation for the events. It's a little like a Bedouin folk tale version of the 'Old Man and the Sea", except with a solitary old man heroically guarding the last vestiges of the desert values and spirituality against the encroachment of greed and technology.

The hipster American Marine who shallowly dabbled in eastern spirituality and came to join in the slaughter of wild animals to get a taste of what he called 'spiritual food' is a veiled political reference perhaps. But I also see it as a diatribe against the foodie who derives excitement from eating exotic animals and cloaks it with spiritual and cultural meaning [like putting on protective amulets before consuming], when in fact his destruction to satisfy his glutton is the exact opposite of the exotic eastern spirituality he claimed to follow.

See also: The Atlantic - The Moral Crusade Against Foodies [...]

"It was only when he started praying that male goats decided to butt one another right there in front of him." Rare is the novel that can boast such an opening sentence. In miniature, it captures the essence of Libyan author, Ibrahim Al-Koni`s, `Bleeding of the Stone.` This masterful if limited piece of fiction carries a timely message: neglect the natural world at your own peril.

Set in the desert mountains of the Sahara, the novel centers around Asouf, only child of impoverished goat herders. Like his father, Asouf spends his time in almost constant intimacy with the wadis and rocky hillocks of the Sahara. Living so isolated is the result of the father`s implacable misanthropy. `Man devours man,` he warns his son and does his best to place of his family far from the reaches of human contact. Instead, Asouf learns to prize and value the desert animals: his own goats, the sensuous gazelles that roam the plains, and most of all, the majestic and mysterious waddan, or mountain sheep. The father warns that the waddan is the sacred carrier of the `mountain spirit` and must never be hunted. Asouf soon learns of the waddan`s power when one saves him from death.

After his parents die, Asouf is soon left to fend for himself in the desert. His years of isolation have left him unequipped to deal with his fellow man. So fearful and shy is Asouf that when the caravans arrive bearing food and other necessary goods, Asouf is afraid to approach and trade. Yet, soon his fellow humans poke their heads into Asouf`s hermetic existence. Hunters arrive demanding to know the whereabouts of the sacred waddan, intent on killing them for their supposedly divinely endowed flesh.

The hunters are an unsavory lot. Cain and Masoud are locals who are helped in their hunt by an ex-pat American, John Parker. Cain is characterized by having an insatiable hunger for meat. With the aid of his American helper, they decimate the local gazelle herds with the use of automatic weapons and helicopters. Asouf is horrified by their slaughters and refuses to divulge the waddan`s whereabouts. He defends the waddan to the end, repaying his debt.

Al-Koni`s message in `Bleeding` is simple and direct. We are responsible not only for each other but for all forms of life. Yet, numerous other subthemes abound: political (the `American` helping locals destroy their environment), religious (the faith of Asouf contrasted with the mere allegiances of both Cain and Parker), and lastly, the moral (does destroying life for food inevitably lead to one`s own destruction?). All these themes intertwine throughout the book, but none is explored in great detail. Instead, `Bleeding` is best understood as a parable on how to live in peace with one`s environment. Asouf lives in humble harmony with the desert, while Cain and Parker live unsatisfied lives destroying life in order to satiate their greed. Moreover, the life-giving value of sacrifice is equally stressed in `Bleeding.` The waddans and gazelles show pity on the suffering humans in the inhospitable desert and sacrifice among their numbers so their human brethren can survive. Asouf and his father recognize that this offering must be reciprocal. They too shed their own blood so that the animals may survive as well. Only when the stone is covered in blood (bleeding) will the rivers of life resume their flow.

Al-Koni`s cautionary fable is as austere as its Saharan setting. Al-Koni`s language captures this harshness with its spartan descriptions and lack of decoration. His characters are as hard and skeletal as the windswept Haswana Mountains. Asouf and Cain are both motivated by the simple act of survival. Yet, both approach this act with profoundly different attitudes. Asouf`s final struggle and sacrifice underscores a much-needed message for today`s over exploited world: our survival is intimately tied to the survival of all life.