Customer Reviews

Leo the African

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When you begin a long journey, Leo tells us, start with a short step. That way if you forget something, it's no distance to go back home for it! Good advice.

Leo the African is set in Medieval North Africa. Leo is an arab in the employ of the pope Leo X, recounting to us his history, and how he came to serve the Church of Rome.

In his youth he travelled widely from his home in Morocco, all across the arab world. His journeys are clearly based on those of the great traveller of the Arabic world, Ibn Batuta.

The book is narrated in a familiar and relaxed style and you quickly settle into it, like a comfortable armchair. One of the nicest and most memorable books I have had the pleasure to read. It contains much wisdom about travel, about people, and about the arab world. Well worth the five stars!

Some of the characters a reader will "meet" upon reading this novel: Barbarossa the Pirate, Pope Leo X, Pope Clemence II (if I am correct), the Medicis, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabel of Spain, etc. You will be surprised what Amin Maalouf has under his sleeves by reading this book.

It was written at the back cover of this book as a true story of Leo the African or Leo Africanus. We was a historian and wrote a book on his travels in African region, mostly north Africa.

He was born in Granada, Spain during the waning years of the Moorish Empire in the West and the emergence of Ottoman Empire in the East. His experiences and childhood friends will prove to be vital in the later-years-of-his-life-plot (is it a plot if it is a true story??) His name is Ali al-Wazzan, or Ali from Wazzan. Ali al-Wazzan turned Leo Medici only to reconvert back to Ali.

The story was written in several main sections, started with Granada. When Granada eventually fell to the Aragons, his family fled to Fez in Northern Africa. His adventures eventually took him away to other north African cities, and ended up in Egypt. In Egypt, he found a new Circassian wife, already having a wife in Fez. This second wife turned out to be the last defender of the Saracen dynasty. This kingdom was eventually overwhelmed by the Ottomans. Many Western readers may not know that within the Islamic kingdoms, there existed rivalry and hatred among themselves, which were also depicted in gross conflicts by Mr. Maalouf.

Ali eventually ended up in the Vatican, where he was the personal slave of neither but Pope Leo X himself. Having excelled in calligraphy and scribles, Ali was ascended into a highrer plane by the Pope by having him converted to Catholicism. Though in heart he was always a Muslim, he enjoyed being a Christian, too. During his stay in the Vatican, he has experienced having reigned by three different popes of different objectives in mind. Since the Vatican aligned themselves with France, eventually disgruntled German clergymen lead by Luther started the church reformation by naming themselves as the Protestants.

Leo (Ali, that is) was saved by Hans, his old priest student during his years with Pope Leo X. Leo and his new found converso wife (ex-Mulsim, turned Christian) fled to Africa again, only to reconvert back to Islam. These stories made a great impression on me that conversions are nothing but another fact of life during those turmoil years. Worst for the Jews, since having expelled from Spain. They were being prosecuted again in France.

If you think Amin Maalouf is just another middle eastern writer with exotic Oriental writings, you must start reading this work. Having also read the Balthasar's Odyssey, which is somewhat similar to Leo the African, but on a lighter scale (I gave that book a 4 star), I must recommend this novel as one of my all time favorite read. Have it a try!

An sweeping epic tale that is also deliciously descriptive and imaginative. The tale of Leon the African who is born in Granada when it was still occupied by Muslims, who faces exile numerous times in his life, finds and loses love several times. Rises to riches and power, is captured and made a slave. Lives as a Muslim, Christian and then Muslim again this story has it all. I would and have recommended this book to everyone I know.