Barakat himself was a very interesting man and I believe he was the first of his kind. His radical ways may not have been suitable for the time period and his time as Muhastib but he definitely turned a few heads with his approach. Speaking with people directly was a new idea that the people loved, but the officials hated. It seemed like anything that was good for the people the other officials did not like. Even the Sultan says that anytime someone wants justice you come and shoot him down, which really describes how officials seem threatened by other power. But how different is that really from todays society. Its all about power and people in positions of power become fearful that they will do something or someone else will do something that will affect their status and position.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Zayni Barakat
I found aspects of this book interesting, and aspects very hard to follow. Being a historical fiction I did find its hard to really know what is total truth and what is story telling. The names also confused me as I found myself having to look back and figure out who was who. I liked how the book described the structure of power and how every official seemed to be spying on another. That made the book very interesting and gave it sort of a dramatic twist.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Barakat was really interesting when you investigate his motives and methods. He kind of corressponds to a modern-day CIA director that we would see in movies today. He trusts no one and in turn no one trusts him. While the author himself is Egyptian and has a familiarity with Cairo, it really is hard to distinguish between what is fiction and what is the reality of the situation and as people studying this, its important to acquire the skill to discern between the two.
ReplyDeleteThe details of life in Egypt at the time was one of my favorite aspects of this book. The Egyptian author really painted a picture of the time as well as the moods of the citizens in which Barakat interacted with. The book described Egyptian authority on all levels well and with great detail.
ReplyDeleteI agree that this book was interesting, but pretty difficult to follow at times. It was difficult to differentiate fact from fiction and understand what the book was really about. Touba and The Bastard of Istanbul but were much more helpful in learning about the topic.
ReplyDelete