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Granada
Granada: A Novel | Ra?wá ??sh?r, William Granara
2 posts | 2 read | 10 to read
Radwa Ashour skillfully weaves a history of Granadan rule and an Arabic world into a novel that evokes cultural loss and the disappearance of a vanquished population. The novel follows the family of Abu Jaafar, the bookbinderhis wife, widowed daughter-in-law, her two children, and his two apprenticesas they witness Christopher Columbus and his entourage in a triumphant parade featuring exotic plants and animals and human captives from the New World. Embedded in the narrative is the preparation for the marriage of Saad, one of the apprentices, and Saleema, Abu Jaafar's granddaughtera scenario that is elegantly revealed in a number of parallel scenes. As the new rulers of Granada confiscate books and officials burn the collected volumes, Abu Jaafur quietly moves his rich library out of town. Persecuted Muslims fight to form an independent government, but increasing economic and cultural pressures on the Arabs of Spain and Christian rulers culminate in Christian conversions and Muslim uprisings. A tale that is both vigorous and heartbreaking, this novel will appeal to general readers of Spanish and Arabic literature as well as anyone interested in Christian-Muslim relations.
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Billypar
Granada: A Novel | Ra?wá ??sh?r, William Granara
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I found this on a Book Riot list of Egyptian authors to try, and seeing only one Litsy post, I thought maybe it wasn't so well-known. Then I looked at Goodreads...over 40,000 ratings 😮 I can see why it's so popular: Ashour's tale of a Granadan family at the end of the 15th century captures the fraught interactions between family members during a time of upheaval. With Muslim rule recently ended by the Castilians, 👇

Billypar an atmosphere of danger and uncertainty lurks as the residents of Albaicin see the most sacred aspects of their way of life forbidden. Ashour's decision not to have a central character and to instead switch between family members was a bold one that emphasized the individual responses to the oppression they faced. It was tough reading this knowing that Parts 2 and 3 haven't been translated into English, but I didn't feel shortchanged in the least. (edited) 4y
vivastory This sounds very intriguing. Very bold to read it without the rest being available in translation! I find this period of history fascinating, will def be checking it out 4y
Billypar @vivastory I'm actually the worst at reading series anyhow - so many book one's read and no others! Luckily this author has at least one other novel translated in English, so I will probably check this one out as well. 4y
Pinta Albaicín is such an evocative setting... definitely curious about this book. 4y
Billypar @Pinta She doesn't get carried away with her descriptions of the surroundings, but the ones she does use were very effective in making me feel like I was there, without knowing anything about Albaicín going into it. 4y
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SubwayBookReview
Granada: A Novel | Ra?wá ??sh?r, William Granara
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Julian: "It‘s a novel that will enrich your mind with knowledge and historical details about medieval Granada, where Arab Muslims were once in power. Centuries later, Christian kingdoms of Europe fought them off, forcing many into baptism. Not many people wrote about it as a story of humanity like Radwa Ashour did. Her writing always captivates me." #cairo

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