The Secret Of The Morisco - Softcover

AlAjmi, Mohammed

Softcover

ISBN 10: 178871086X ISBN 13: 9781788710862

Publisher: DarArab for Publishing and Translation, 2024

Synopsis

The Secret of the Morisco is a picaresque tale of Robert, a young Englishman taken captive by the Spanish Armada in the 17th century, as he sails home after procuring an Arabic printing press in the Netherlands. Thrown into prison for nothing more than his own bad luck, Robert befriends a Christianised Moor, Yusuf, who cautiously recounts the story of his family's flight from Spain following the Edict of Expulsion in 1609 and divulges the existence of lost Arabic manuscripts, setting Robert off on an adventure taking him from Spain to Holland, Italy, and Ottoman Syria in search of the invaluable trove.

More than a thrilling story about the emergence of the Arabic printing press or lost manuscripts, The Secret of the Morisco draws heavily on events from the Scientific Revolution, the Thirty Years' War, and the often turbulent relations with the Ottoman Empire to highlight a period of intense cultural interaction and increasing competition between Europe and the Islamic world. Memoir-like and written from Robert's perspective, the novel interrogates notions of belonging, the permeability of boundaries, and the ambiguous dichotomy between East and West. Deeply researched and easily accessible to the general reader, The Secret of the Morisco is historical fiction at its finest and offers a unique perspective on a critical period of history.

About this title

About the Authors

Mohammed AlAjmi is an Omani novelist and researcher with a keen interest in the philosophy of science and artificial intelligence. His work explores themes of consciousness, enlightenment, and critical philosophy. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from Sultan Qaboos University (Oman) and another in Computer Science from the University of Southern Queensland (Australia), along with studies in the philosophy of digital sciences at the University of Tilburg (Netherlands).

A founding member of the Omani Society of Writers’ philosophy committee, AlAjmi also played a key role in establishing the Rawaq Muscat literary salon. His debut novel, The Secret of the Morisco, was longlisted for the Sheikh Zayed Book Award in 2022.

Christiaan James is an American diplomat and literary translator. He holds a degree in Middle Eastern Studies from Harvard University and has lived and worked throughout the Middle East and North Africa, including Yemen, Tunisia, and Egypt. His first translation of Yemeni author Badr Ahmad’s Five Days Untold was longlisted for the Republic of Consciousness prize in 2022.

Edition details

• Publisher: DarArab for Publishing and Translation
• Publication date: 2024
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 178871086X
• ISBN 13: 9781788710862
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 346