Samarkand (novel)

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Wikipedia article 'Samarkand' , written by French-Lebanese writer Amin Maalouf, is a 1988 historical fiction novel that revolves around the 11th-century Persian poet Omar Khayym and his poetry collection 'Rubaiyat'. The novel received the Prix Maison de la Presse. Plot The first half of the story is set in Persia (present day Iran) and Central Asia in the 11th century, and revolves around the scientist, philosopher, and poet Omar Khayym. It recounts the creation of his Rubaiyat throughout the history of the Seljuk Empire, his interactions with historical figures such as Vizir Nizam al-Mulk and Hassan al-Sabbah of the order of the Assassins, and his love affair with a female poet of the Samarkand court. The second half of the story documents the efforts of a fictional American named Benjamin Omar Lesage to obtain the (fictional) original copy of the Rubaiyat, witnessing Persian history throughout the Persian Constitutional Revolution of 1905-1907, only to lose this manuscript in the sinking of the RMS Titanic. Reception Ahmed Rashid reviewed the book for 'The Independent', and wrote: Maalouf has written an extraordinary book, describing the lives and times of people who have never appeared in fiction before and are unlikely to do so again. The book is far more than a simple historical novel; like the intricate embroidery of an oriental carpet it weaves back and forth through the centuries, linking the poetry, philosophy and passion of the Sufi past with modernism. See also * 1988 in literature * 20th-century French literature * Malik-Shah I * Alp Arslan References Category:1988 novels Category:Novels by Amin Maalouf Category:French historical novels Category:Novels about writers Category:Novels set in the Middle Ages Category:Works about Omar Khayyam Category:Samarkand Category:Novels set in the 11th century Category:Novels set in the 1900s Category:Novels set in the 1910s
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