{"product_id":"the-book-smuggler-9781617979989","title":"The Book Smuggler","description":"\u003cb\u003eA magical story of a Crusade-era bookseller who embarks on a journey through the Islamic world's great medieval cities, winner of the Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn the epic fashion of the great Arab explorers and travel writers of the Middle Ages, scribe and bookworm Mazid al-Hanafi narrates this journey from his remote village in the Arabian Desert. Dreaming of grand libraries, his passion for the written word draws him into a secret society of book smugglers and into the famed cultural capitals of the period--Baghdad, Jerusalem, Cairo, Granada, and Cordoba. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHe discovers a dangerous new world of ideas and experiences the cultural diversity of the Islamic Golden Age, its sects, philosophical schools, wars, and ways of life. \u003cbr\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eOmaima Al-Khamis's magical storytelling and her vivid descriptions of time and place trace a route through ancient cities and cultures and immerse us in a distant era, uncovering the intellectual debates and struggles which continue to rage today.\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eOmaima Al-Khamis\u003c\/b\u003e was born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 1966. A prolific writer, columnist, critic, social reformer, and women's rights activist, she has published novels, short-story collections, opinion pieces, and children's books. \u003ci\u003eThe Book Smuggler\u003c\/i\u003e, her fourth novel, won the Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature, and was longlisted for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction, both under the title, \u003ci\u003e Masra al-gharaniq fi mudun al-aqiq \u003c\/i\u003e(Voyage of the Cranes over the Agate Cities.) It is her English language publishing debut. She lives in Riyadh with her husband, two sons, and daughter.\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eSarah Enany\u003c\/b\u003e is a literary translator and a professor in the English Department of Cairo University.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Hoopoe","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50510856651026,"sku":"9781617979989","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_d190da9c-5428-4bb1-a447-176771d60121.jpg?v=1730936742","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-book-smuggler-9781617979989","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}