Islam Quintet 4: A Sultan in Palermo

Description

The fourth novel in Tariq Ali’s Islam Quintet is set in medieval Palermo, a Muslim city rivalling Baghdad and Cordoba in size and splendour. The year is 1153. The Normans are ruling Siqqiliya, but Arab culture and language dominate the island and the court. Sultan Rujari (King Roger) surrounds himself with Muslim intellectuals, several concubines, and an administration presided over by gifted eunuchs. The bishops, expecting to be at the pinnacle of power, are angered by the decadence of the court. In this captivating novel, Tariq Ali charts the life and loves of the medieval cartographer Muhammed al-Idrisi. Torn between his close friendship with the sultan and his friends who are leaving the island or plotting a resistance to Norman rule, Idrisi finds temporary solace in the harem; but, confronted by the common people of Noto and Catania, his conscience is troubled. A Sultan in Palermo is a mythic novel in which pride, greed, and lust intermingle with resistance and greatness. Set in the past, it has haunting resonance today.

Author Biography

Tariq Ali (b. 1943) is an author, journalist, and filmmaker. He was born and raised in Lahore where he became politically active in his teens. He rose to prominence during the Vietnam War when he engaged in debates against the war with the likes of Henry Kissinger and Michael Stewart. Highly critical of the US and Israeli foreign policies, he has to his credit a number of nonfiction books on politics and has also long been associated with the New Left Review. He has also written many bestselling novels including Islam Quintet. Currently, he lives in England.