Middle Eastern Fiction

The remarkable Gertrude Bell, one of the great scholars/adventurers of the late 19th and early 20th century, translated the poems of Hafiz of Persia and introduced the English world to one of the great minds of the 15th century. This is her work in an inexpensive and highly understandable new edition.

Maze of Destiny paints a vivid picture of a Syrian family struggling to survive amidst the chaos and brutality of war. Mullah Abdullah, a respected imam, sees his peaceful world shattered when a bombing devastates his mosque. Injured and grappling with fear, he must confront the terrifying reality of a war that spares neither places of worship nor human lives. Meanwhile, his wife Amani faces a mother's worst nightmare: their daughter, Zahra, has been kidnapped. As Amani desperately seeks news of her daughter and tends to her injured husband, Zahra finds unexpected solace in her friendship ...

Together, Hafez, a giant of world literature; Jahan Malek Khatun, an eloquent princess; and Obayd-e Zakani, a dissolute satirist, represent one of the most remarkable literary flowerings of any era. Here Dick Davis, an award-winning poet widely considered "our finest translator of Persian poetry" (The Times Literary Supplement), presents a diverse selection of some of the best poems by these world-renowned authors and shows us the spiritual and secular aspects of love, in varieties embracing every aspect of the human heart.

There was and there was not, as all stories begin, a princess cursed to be poisonous to the touch. But for Soraya, who has lived her life hidden away, apart from her family, safe only in her gardens, it's not just a story. As the day of her twin brother's wedding approaches, Soraya must decide if she's willing to step outside of the shadows for the first time. Below in the dungeon is a demon who holds knowledge that she craves, the answer to her freedom.

The Way of the Sufi presents an unparalleled cross-section of material from Sufi schools, Sufi teachings, and classical writings as a basic course of Sufi study. The author begins with the outward aspects of the teaching most likely to puzzle the student coming fresh to the subject. He considers various attitudes to Sufi ideas and evidence of their absorption into medieval Christianity, Hinduism, Jewish mysticism, and modern philosophical teachings.

This powerful, inspiring book tells the story of an ambitious Afghan girl who seeks to fulfill her promise to her mother, fight for the right to education, and empower girls. Zynab lives in a small village in Afghanistan where education is deemed unnecessary for girls and even frowned upon. But Zaynab's family and life are very different from those of other girls in her village. Her father is a teacher who began teaching her Rumi's poetry when she was only five. One poem, in particular, inspires and encourages her: "You were born with potential. You were born with divine energy You were ...

FBI agent Nicholas Drummond and his partner, Mike Caine, are deep into an investigation of COE - Celebrants of the Earth - a violent group known for widespread bombings of power grids and oil refineries. While investigating a tip from a civilian who's overheard about a possible bombing plot, the Bayway Refinery in New Jersey explodes. Nicholas and Mike race to the scene and barely escape being killed by a secondary device.

The prophet Al Mustafa has lived in the city of Orphalese for 12 years and is about to board a ship that will carry him home. He is stopped by a group of people with whom he discusses topics such as life and the human condition. The book is divided into chapters dealing with love, marriage, children, giving, eating and drinking, work, joy and sorrow, houses, clothes, buying and selling, crime and punishment, laws, freedom, reason and passion, pain, self-knowledge, teaching, friendship, talking, time, good and evil, prayer, pleasure, beauty, religion, and death.

From an Award-Winning Author After eleven years of marriage, Maya embarks on a journey and falls madly in love with a mysterious man. Through alleys fragrant with the pungent smell of fried rice, amid child beggars and vendors of psychedelic fabrics, she makes startling discoveries about the stranger, and about herself. How far will she be willing to go? "From the recipient of the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award of Israel's Association of Authors and Composers (ACUM) 2015, comes a brilliant novel, full of humor and sensuality." Lily Pery, #1 literary editor "This book will drive you ...

Kahlil Gibran, author of The Prophet, is known throughout the world as the immortal Prophet of Lebanon and the Savant of his Age. A Treasury of Kahlil Gibran, which sold over a hundred thousand copies, led to a wide demand for a sequel volume. The demand has been met in A Second Treasury of Kahlil Gibran. In this magnificent volume Gibran's writing in his beloved mother tongue, Arabic, have been translated superbly into English by his great friend, Anthony Rizeallah Ferris.

مرداد‬ يُحكى أنّ نوح، بعد الطوفان، سأل ابنه أن يبني هيكلًا يشبه الفلك، في وسطه مذبح تشتعل فيه نار لا تنطفئ، وأن يجمع فيه تسعة رجال يسمّون "رفاق الفلك". نفّذ الابن الوصيّة، ومضت السنوات والفلك على حالها، إنّما رفاق الفلك على تغيّر: فبدل أن يكتفوا بما هو ضروريّ، جمعوا أملاكًا، وذهبًا، ومالًا، وتحوّلوا كهنة منكبّين على حماية قشور الدين وسطحية كهنوته.

A family secret revealed 40 years ago by a grandmother to her grandson is now an acclaimed Russian historical fiction novel. A Hundred Sweet Promises is the tale of the author’s grandfather, Nasrosoltan, a famed composer, who on the eve of World War I travels from Persia to Russia to study classical music at the St. Petersburg Conservatory with such masters as Rimsky-Korsakov.

Bernard and Agnes Montjoy keep an inn in Crusader Jerusalem. Their lives are about to be shattered. Guy, the new King of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem, ignores the advice of wiser men and leads his army out of the city to do battle with the great warlord Saladin. Within days the Christian army is annihilated. Triumphant, Saladin leads his warriors towards Jerusalem, determined to win it back for his people. To defend the city there is only one nobleman, Balian of Ibelin, and four knights. In desperation Balian knights thirty ordinary men to lead the defence. Agnes begs Bernard not to ...

تدور على محور أساس هو الحبّ. يغرم الأرقش حتّى الجنون، وهو شابّ أرجنتينيّ مثقّف من أصل لبنانيّ، بفتاة فائقة الجمال. إلّا أنّ الأرقش المغرم لا يلبث أن يكتشف في الحبّ ذينك القطبين الدهريّين المتناقضين اللذين يتنازعان النفس البشريّة، فإذا به مصلوب بينهما؛ نحبّ فنسمو، ونشفّ نشفّ روحًا حتّى لنكاد نلامس عرش الله.

CRETE 1941 - A LOST SECRET IS DISCOVERED During the German invasion of Crete, an air raid destroys a church revealing an ancient Christian scroll buried under its foundations. It is discovered by Callidora, a young Cretan shepherdess. She meets Hans, a German paratrooper who helps her understand the significance of the scroll. Callidora’s family accuse her of collaboration with the enemy and disown her. While Hans’ commanding officer, Captain Wolfgang Kohlenz, will stop at nothing to force Callidora to reveal the scroll’s secret. LONDON 2005 - A GLOBAL CONSPIRACY Richard Helford, an ...

The captivating saga of an American nurse uncovering her mysterious past in a land far away. As an orphan who aged out of the system, Adira beat the odds, earning a nursing degree and finding a job at the California hospital that once saved her life. After being forced out, she turns to an enticing position in the Middle East. Enchanted by the turquoise sea, towering mountains, and golden sands, Adira falls in love with the culture and welcoming people of Oman. But beneath the surface, the nation’s fabric is being torn apart. And she is one of the threads. In a race against time and the ...

In this recording are presented readings of all five editions of Omar Khayyam's Rubaiyat, translated by scholar Edward Fitzgerald, as well as biographical material about Fitzgerald and Omar Khayyam and a laudatory poem by Andrew Lang.

Shaza, a Syrian-Canadian housewife, is happily married and living the Canadian dream with a beautiful house in the suburbs, a loving family, and amazing friendships. When shy and sweet Shaza decides to abandon her family and embark on a strange journey of her own, her friends—Najat, Sonia, and Reem— are left entirely baffled. Did her husband harm her? Did she try and go back to Syria? Is she tied to the conflict? They follow her journey which takes her to Istanbul, Jordan, Netanya, Mecca, Jeddah, and London. Her friends come to learn the secrets which Shaza has harboured all of her life...

"As the depth of truth of one's life can only be penned upon the pages of a diary, Jane Digby leads us through her passionate life . . . A wonderful piece of historical fiction that will delight your senses as well as your heart." - Peggy Lee Sprague, author of The Truth Hunters series. Jane Digby's Diary continues with Volume Three: Following an Eastern Star. Based on a true story . . . Bright, beautiful, and bold, Jane Digby led a remarkable life. Born to privilege in 1807 at Dorset, England, she soon scandalized Europe with her reckless pursuit of freedom. Kings, princes, barons, ...

In 1st century B.C. Mesopotamia, the authority of the Parthian Empire has reached the northern side of the River Euphrates. Farther west, the Roman Republic’s influence is continuing to expand into Asia-Minor. For the smaller Kingdoms like Armenia that stand between these towering eagles, it is a constant struggle for the very existence of their countries and cultures… Prince Tigran of Armenia and his friends have reached manhood and will soon be in need of all the skills learned from the Royal Guard and their mentor, Captain Harat. Tigran grapples between his affinity for Parthia, ...