Maalouf – Leo Africanus

Amin Maaloufs novel social lion Africanus, a fictionalized memoir by an actual sixteenth-century Moslem adventurer, is an often-interesting account of manners during the churning eat up of the Middle Ages, told from the point of view of a man who survived his bread and butters ample excitation and bridged conflicting cultures without wholly belonging to each.The narrator of this work, a traveler and author hunchn in his a fuckness as Jean-Leon de Medici or Leo Africanus, was born in 1488 as Hasan al-Wazzan, son of a prominent Moslem family in Granada, Spain. At the time, southern Spains Andalusia region (of which Granada was its chief city) was Muslim-dominated, with Catholics, Muslims, and Jews alike coexisting in a cosmopolitan, relatively tolerant atmosphere. Maalouf depicts Granada as an intriguing, exotic, tolerant place for its time, despite its corrupt rulers and ultimate weakness beforehand the invading armies of Aragon and Castile.Shortly after his birth, Spanis h forces conquered Granada and soon started persecuting whole non-Christians, forcing them to convert to Catholicism or flee, depriving them of their amplees in either case. though European history depicts Spains liberation from Muslim rule as a glorious event, it was a tragic blow for the Muslims who had lived at that place for centuries and built a prosperous, learned society. As his uncle Khali, a wealthinessy diplomat, laments, fancy how the comm symmetry . . . have been forced into slavery after their surrender See how the search has raised pyres for the Jews . . . and for the Muslims as well How can we stop this, except by resistance, mobilization, and jihad? (Maalouf, 1988, p. 25) though the word jihad today carries ominous meanings for Westerners, in this context it meant self-defense in the face of an strict enemy.The Spanish appear in a distinctly negative light, as bloodthirsty, vindictive conquerors who used the Inquisition to crush their enemies, real or percei ved. Maalouf offers in interesting inversion of Western opinion here, and he shows post-1492 Granada as a dark, dangerous place whose intellectual feel is crushed. Also, small-arm modern lecturers think of Jews and Muslims as somebody enemies, Maalouf demonstrates that they enjoyed peaceful relations in medieval Andalusia, and Leo laments the Spanish edict mandating the formal termination of all relations between Christians and Jews, which can only be accomplished by the expulsion of all the Jews from our realm (Maalouf, 1988, p. 59).His uncle Khali assumes a dominant role in Leos aliveness, helping educate him and, more importantly, winning him along on his 1504 diplomatic mission to Timbuktu, hence an important Muslim cultural and commercial aggregate in sub-Saharan West Africa. Even as a teenager, he demonstrates keen insights to the humanity some him, particularly to the appearances, races, and attributes of the cities he visits en route. For example, he describes Ain al-Asnam, an ancient city destroyed during Islams spread, as sole witness of the age of ignorance (Maalouf, 1988, p. 155), implying that despite its former glories, it symbolizes the dark era before Islam spread its edify message.In addition, he reveals a gift for vivid descriptive prose when he says of Sijilmassa, a once-thriving city on the road to Timbuktu Of its walls, once so high, only a few sections abide, half-ruined, and c ever soywhereed with grass and moss. Of its population, there remain only various hostile clans . . . who seem merci minuscule toward each other and deserve their circumstances (Maalouf, 1988, p. 157). though he is not intolerant of peoples different from himself, he alike does not shy from momentary judgments on unfortunate places, though his own living is full of mis wads he accepts rafts fickle nature, which perchance sustains him through his difficulties.His uncle dies en route back to Fez and Leo returns home to work in a hospice and marry his cousin Fatima, who is far less pleasing than Hiba, the slave girl who becomes his longtime mistress (similar to Warda, the retainer whom his father chose over his wife, Leos arrive). He also tries to save his infant Mariam from the leper colony, where an influential suitor, a highway robber cited the Zarwali, had had her banished for ref apply to marry him.One sees by this point that women have a difficult go down in Muslim society denied many rights, they live tightly circumscribed lives and are subject to staminate commands and whims at all times. Maalouf does not impose modern sensibilities here he remains within the purpose of the times and accepts this lack of freedom as Muslims of the time did, and Leo laments his sisters fate less because she lacks freedom than because her punishment was unduly cruel.As he enters adulthood, his life continues a pattern of good fortune followed by personal or financial disasters from which he always recovers and rebuilds. Leo beco mes a successful merchandiser in Fez and fathers a daughter with Fatima, but when his longtime friend Harun (who has married his unfortunate sister Mariam to unloose her from the leper colony) causes the Zarwalis death, Leo is expelled from Fez for his complicity and loses his fortune on the road to a band of thieves. He finds some relief in Hibas native village, where her former peers buy her back from Leo, restoring some of his wealth but costing him the love of his life.He accepts these reversals surprisingly well by modern standards, but Maalouf implies that the previous(a) medieval/early modern area was a cruel and fickle place, with few certainties in life other than misfortune. A common theme throughout the book is that such events are simply perfections will when he loses both his fortune and Hiba, Leo laments, such(prenominal) is the judgment of the almost advanced (Maalouf, 1988, p. 214). His opinion does not waverr throughout the story, even when Christians abduc t, enslave, and force him to become a Catholic.Leos destiny seems to be the roads he travels throughout his adult life his form of geography and travelog seem to be his calling in life, and he demonstrates a keen grasp of how to describe people and places. His travels take him throughout northern, western, and central Africa, and he states without obvious boasting, When our geographers of old spoke of the land of the Blacks, they only mentioned gold coast and the oases of the Libyan desert. . . . I myself, who am only the last of the travellers, know the names of sixty black kingdoms . . . from the Niger to the Nile (Maalouf, 1988, p. 216). Such knowledge would later serve him well.He becomes involved with the eras governmental intrigues when he meets and marries Nur, the leave of the pull rulers nephew. While Leo supports the Turks in the vain hope that they will liberate Andalusia from the Spanish and make it safe for Muslims over again, Nur opposes it and fears that Turkish a gents will murder her infant son to prevent him from take for granted the throne. Reflecting on the discord within his own faith, Leo asks, Is it not in the blade of a dig brandished by the Friend of God above a pyre that the revealed religions meet? (Maalouf, 1988, p. 245) He longs for the tolerance and unity of his youth in Granada, hence his somewhat nave support for the Ottoman Empire, of which he says, the turbans of the Turks and the skull caps of the Christians and Jews mingle without offense or resentment (Maalouf, 1988, p. 258).His destiny as a geographer and prentice is realized when Sicilian pirates kidnap him in Tunisia and present him to Pope Leo X as a slave. As with the rest of his life, this misfortune leads to another(prenominal) lucky phase, as the pontiff, impressed with Leos intellect, employs him as a protg. Forcing him to become a Christian and renaming him John-Leo de Medici (for the pope and the family that takes an interest in him), the pope employs him as a teacher of Arabic while tutoring him in European languages, so that he can produce a volume of his travels, Description of Africa. He earns his freedom but becomes embroiled in papal intrigues, so he must flee neertheless again this time for Tunisia, where he can again be a Muslim. In closing, he advises the reader to be himself in the face of adversity, saying, Muslim, Jew or Christian, they must take you as you are, or lose you (Maalouf, 1988, p. 360). Though he has kept his Muslim faith inwardly intact, Leos force to adapt has ironically saved and sustained him.The book illustrates the suspiciousty of life in the pre-modern era, since peaks and valleys of instability mark Leos life from the beginning. His family loses its fortune and is driven from Granada by conquering Spanish Christians, who then launch a wave of intolerance against Jews and Muslims, forcing them to either become Catholic or leave. In addition, he loses his fortune to thieves, his wife Fatima dies yo ung, he remarries Nur (who leaves him after his abduction), and he is enslaved by Christian pirates in the Mediterranean.He handles it philosophically, accepting the fact that his life is destine to be itinerant, turbulent, and beyond his ability to control. As he tells Nur, Between the Andalus which I left and the Paradise which is promised to me life is only a crossing. I go nowhere, I desire nothing I cling to nothing, I have faith in my passion for living . . . as well as in saving (Maalouf, 1988, p. 261).Overall, Leo Africanus is a solid effort to take the modern reader into the mind of an educated, influential Muslim living at an unstable time in European history. Maalouf does not inject modern sensibilities into his recital but depicts the Muslim culture of the times fairly, without a pro-Western bias. In addition, he strives for authenticity by using a sort of formal, occasionally wordy prose that one assumes is based on the actual writing and informal style of Leo Afric anus times. In the process of producing this interesting historical figures tale, Maalouf also makes force out one of the chief realities of this era in history that life is uncertain and fickle, and that the intelligent, resourceful, and adaptable are top hat suited to endure these shifts of fortune.REFERENCESMaalouf, A. (1988). Leo Africanus. Chicago New Amsterdam Books.Maalouf Leo AfricanusAmin Maaloufs novel Leo Africanus is a novel based on an actual sixteenth-century Spanish-born Muslim geographer and writer born under the name Hasan al-Wazzan. The author gives the reader overtake insights into the conflicts between the Muslim world (whose influence in Europe was then waning) and that of Christianity (which reasserted control over his native Spain and to which he became a somewhat unwilling servant).The theme of the title images life is conflict and misfortune, which seem to plague him from early childhood. Born in 1488 to a rich Muslim family in Granada, Spain, he witne sses as a small child the Catholic victory over the ruling but weakened Muslim elites, followed by a wave of vengeance and intolerance against not only Muslims but also the Jews, who have also lived peacefully in Spain with Christians for centuries. Hasan (the name he uses throughout his life, except when in service to the Pope) demonstrates some of this by mentioning how members of the different religions interact and how some cultural alter occurs.For example, when discussing dates, he frequently refers to Christian and Muslim holidays in tandem, showing their mutual acceptance It all happened on the ninth day of the holy month of Ramadan, or, rather . . . on St. Johns Day, the twenty-fourth of June, since Mihrajan was noteworthy not in accordance with the Muslim year but following the Christian calendar (Maalouf, 1989, p. 63).Here, Maalouf makes clear that Islam was then the much more tolerant religion, accepting aspects of Judaism and Christianity that the Catholic Church refu sed to allow. Because Christianity and Islam were fighting for territory, intolerance was an cats-paw of control and oppression, and the victorious Spaniards had to qualms about driving out or murdering Jews and Muslims who refused to accept forced conversions to Christianity.His family, deprived of its wealth, flees for the unification African city of Fez, where they live as refugees under the care of his kindly uncle, who provides for his education. As he comes of age, he shows a remarkable ability to observe and understand the peoples and places he encounters a gift he sharpens when, as a teenager, he accompanies his rich, well-connected uncle on a diplomatic excursion to Timbuktu.For example, he writes of Sijilmassa, a once-thriving city on the road to Timbuktu Of its walls, once so high, only a few sections remain, half-ruined, and covered with grass and moss. Of its population, there remain only various hostile clans . . . who seem merciless toward each other and deserve th eir fate (Maalouf, 1989, p. 157). Though he is not intolerant of peoples different from himself, he also does not shy from passing judgments on unfortunate or blighted places, though his own life is full of misfortunes he accepts fates fickle nature, which perhaps sustains him through his difficulties.Hasans adult life is generally unstable and paramount with misfortune, which seems to be the norm in a world where little other than hard luck is guaranteed. aft(prenominal) his uncle dies, he returns to Fez to work in a hospice for the sick and insane, marries a rather plain cousin (despite his long relationship with Hiba, a slave mistress), later becomes a prosperous merchant, and seems to live a somewhat conventional life. However, he is not destined to enjoy a stable, uneventful life.When he starts his business career, his mother makes a prediction that seems to foreshadow the direction of his life Many men discover the whole world while seeking only to make their fortune. But as for you, my son, you will stumble on your regard as you seek to discover the world (Maalouf, 1989, p. 187). Indeed, fate so strong a presence in the novel that it almost seems like a character intervenes and his life is again turbulent. When he becomes embroiled in his childhood friend (and brother-in-law) Haruns plot to avenge his sister Mariams confinement to a leper colony, the administration expel Hasan from Fez and thieves on the road rob him of his fortune. In addition, he is forced to sacrifice his mistress, Hiba, in order to regain some of his riches.However, his destiny is to discover the world, which indeed is why modern readers even know of his existence. Always astute and insightful, Hasan compiles his observations during his many travels, forming the basis for his lasting renown as an early geographer and expert on sub-Saharan Africa. He travels throughout the uncorrupteds northern and central regions and, when speaking of other writers ignorance of Africa, states , I myself, who am only the last of the travellers, know the names of sixty black kingdoms . . . from the Niger to the Nile. Some have never appeared in any book, but I would not be telling the truth if I would convey to have discovered them myself, since I only followed the ordinary route of the caravans (Maalouf, 1989, p. 216).He moves to Cairo (then under Ottoman Turkish rule) to restart his often-disrupted life, commenting that I was suddenly certain that after the tempest which had destroyed my fortune a new life was awaiting me in this land of Egypt, a life of passion, danger and honour (Maalouf, 1989, p. 218). Here, he again finds himself on the wrong side of destiny when he marries into the Turkish sultans family and supports them in their political maneuverings, in the vain hope that they will retake Granada in the name of Islam.He dreams his entire life of his birthplace and the words of a visiting delegation from the sultan foster the nave faith that he can return A grea t Muslim empire is in the process of coming to life in the East, and we in the West should stretch out our hand to it. Until now, we have been subjected to the law of the unbelievers (Maalouf, 1989, p. 257). However, this scheme also goes awry and he is enslaved by Italian pirates, who give him to Pope Leo X.This phase of Hasans life is a strange twist of fate, in which apparent tragedy turns into great luck. The pontiff, seeing that the learned, sophisticated Hasan is no ordinary captive, employs him as a tutor of Arabic and requires him to learn Latin, Turkish, and lessons in the Christian faith. Hasan deems this a meliorate form of forced labour . . . and proof of the Popes own enthusiastic interest in me (Maalouf, 1989, p. 294).The end result of this gentle captivity is Description of Africa, a book describing his many travels in a continent with which Europeans were still largely unfamiliar. He wins his freedom but again finds himself on the wrong side of a larger political co nflict (this time within the Catholic Church), so he escapes Rome for Tunisia, where he can openly practice Islam again. In closing, he advises the reader to be himself in the face of adversity, saying, wherever you are, some will want to ask questions about your skin or your prayers. Beware of gratifying their instincts . . . beware of bending before the multitude (Maalouf, 1989, p. 360). Though he has kept his Muslim faith inwardly intact, his ability to adapt and go with the flow preserves him.Without dwelling on the point, Maalouf makes clear to the reader that in this unstable, uncertain medieval world, Fate plays an exceptionally strong role in everyday life. Indeed, Hasan witnesses plenty of calamity in his life his birthplace is seized and made repressive by Spanish Catholics he and his family see their wealth fount and vanish repeatedly he marries twice and loses both wives (the first dies young, while the second abandons him after his enslavement) and he is forced to se ek his fortunes elsewhere several times in his life.He accepts the fact that he is meant to live on the move and takes little for granted, seemingly aware that his fortunes can be reversed at any time (and frequently are). However, he never becomes embittered he accepts his fate but laments, Such is the judgment of the Most High (Maalouf, 1989, p. 214). His faith does not waver throughout the story, and even when Christians abduct him and force his conversion to Catholicism, he follows but keeps his innermost religious beliefs to himself. He excels as a chameleon and thus survives.His second wife comments on his tendency to travel and disrupt his own life, asking, What substance are you made of that you accept the evil of one town after another, one homeland after another, one woman after another, without ever fighting, without ever regretting, without ever looking back? (Maalouf, 1989, p. 261). He responds by telling her that life is only a crossing.I go nowhere, I desire nothing I cling to nothing, I have faith in my passion for living, in my instinct to search for happiness, as well as in parsimony (Maalouf, 1989, p. 261). Indeed, in this exchange, Maalouf presents the reader with the essence of Hasans character. He is well aware of lifes briefness and thus is passionate only about his religion though he seeks wealth and happiness, he wastes little time mourning the loss of either and looks ahead to the final Place where no man is a stranger before the face of the Creator (Maalouf, 1989, p. 360).Leo Africanus is more than simply a fictionalized memoir. It is a important fish-out-of-water story, illustrating how this educated, well-connected Muslim merchant, traveler, and scholar finds reverses and radical changes in his life at several turns but adapts to each. In addition, it demonstrates how people of that era were very much at Fates mercy little could be taken for granted in such unstable times, but the narrator never loses faith in the Most High, t he God to whom he turns for sustenance.In somewhat formal prose that one suspects was the norm for educated people of that era, Maalouf does not impose a modern viewpoint but offers a fair, compassionate, historically-aware portrayal of both Muslim society and one of the more unusual figures within it. The story of Hasan al-Wazzan is, more than anything else, the tale of an accomplished scholar and a consummate survivor who never forgot who he was, the culture that produced him, or the deity that showed him mercy amidst the worlds turbulence.REFERENCESMaalouf, A. (1989). Leo Africanus. Chicago New Amsterdam Books.