{"product_id":"early-modern-dialogue-with-islam-antonio-de-sosas-topography-of-algiers-1612-9780268029784","title":"Early Modern Dialogue with Islam: Antonio de Sosa's Topography of Algiers (1612)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eAn Early Modern Dialogue with Islam: Antonio de Sosa's\u003c\/i\u003eTopography of Algiers (1612) makes available in translation a riveting sixteenth-century chronicle of European and North African cultural contacts that is virtually unknown to English-speaking readers. The \u003ci\u003eTopography\u003c\/i\u003e was written by a Portuguese cleric, Doctor Antonio de Sosa, who was captured by Algerian corsairs in 1577 and held as a Barbary slave for over four years while awaiting ransom. Sosa's work is a fascinating description of a city at the crossroads of civilizations, with a sophisticated multilingual population of Turks, Arabs, Moriscos, Berbers, Jews, Christian captives, and converts to Islam from across the world.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the \u003ci\u003eTopography of Algiers\u003c\/i\u003e, Sosa meticulously describes the inhabitants' daily lives; their fashions, pastimes, feasts, and funerals; their government; the landmarks of the city itself; and much more. Readers will be struck by the vibrancy of his narrative, rendered into English with crisp accuracy by Diana de Armas Wilson. The \u003ci\u003eTopography\u003c\/i\u003e is a treasure trove of amazing customs, startling behavior, and historical anecdotes that will enthrall readers. The extensive introduction by Mar?a Antonia Garc?s is a superb archival study of the Mediterranean world described by the \u003ci\u003eTopography\u003c\/i\u003e, as well as an expos? of the adventurous, even scandalous, life of its author. The introduction also discusses the fraudulent publication of Sosa's \u003ci\u003eTopography\u003c\/i\u003e under another man's name.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSosa's chronicle stands out for its complexity, vitality, and the sharpness of the author's ethnographic vision. No other account of captivity in this period offers such a detailed and dynamic tableau of Algerian society at the end of the sixteenth century.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eDr. Antonio de Sosa, 1538-1587, was a Spanish priest who after being enslaved in Algiers became the first biographer of Miguel de Cervantes. As a captive he wrote Philip II constantly begging him to pay his ransom and included detailed reports on the ports and ramparts of Algiers--which were included in the \u003ci\u003eTypografia\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"University of Notre Dame Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50844225831186,"sku":"9780268029784","price":44.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_8191c942-c9c3-47fc-a2de-48f9f2ad1dbb.jpg?v=1737314126","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/early-modern-dialogue-with-islam-antonio-de-sosas-topography-of-algiers-1612-9780268029784","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}