The Caliph's House: A Year in Casablanca by Tahir Shah

# Category: Travel

# Format: Hardcover, 368 pages

# On Sale: January 31, 2006

# Related Links:

Author's website

Pictures of renovated Caliph's House or Dar Khalifa where Tahir Shah still lives.

Radio Interview with Author on WNYC




When writer and film maker, Tahir Shah, became a father, he, like most parents, started looking to the future, and realizing that a life in organized and sanitized London would do nothing for his children's sense of adventure and simply promote cultural insularity, he decided to move his family to a place where he spent many an enjoyable day when he was a child - Casablanca! (Tahir's father was famed Sufi poet, Idries Shah, who drove his family from London to Casablanca every summer because the Atlas mountains reminded him of his home in Afghanistan, which was now inaccessible owing to the Taliban occupation)

Moving to and settling in Casablanca was no joke and even though they managed to get themselves a sprawling house which was once the palace of a former Caliph, it was in a terrible state of deterioration and urgently needed huge repairs in order to make it habitable again. Also, it was located right in the middle of a bidonville or a slum, but most troubling, it was reputed to be infested with Jinns who are attracted by empty houses (more on that later).

In those first few months everything that could go wrong, did and quite frankly, if I were Tahir Shah's wife Rachna, who had a 3-week old baby at the time of the move, I would have packed my bags and returned to London. In Morocco, house renovations rarely involve a signed contract, it's all via a verbal agreement thus resulting in a customer having very little hold on the contractor. The craftsmen would be prompt to start on a project, or several projects in the home, but they could take months finishing it.

"Why the hell can't they finish one damn thing before they move on?" I complained again and again.

Kamal would creep behind me, his head low. "It's the Moroccan way," he would reply. "We may not finish things, but we start them so well!"

"The Caliph's House" is primarily a first-person account of Shah's family's relocation to Morocco, but it is so much more. It's a journey into his ancestory, ethnicity and also a beautiful cultural peek into Casablanca, its people, customs, especially its society's close association with the supernatural, in particular, the Jinns.

"...They go by various names - Jinns, Genies, Jnun- and are believed by all to share the earth with us, living in animate objects. They are born, get marries, bear children, and die, just like us. Most of the time they are invisible to humans, but they can take almost any form they wish, most commonly appearing in the hours after dusk, disguised as cats, dogs or scorpions. Although there are some good jinns, most are wicked. Nothing gives them greater pleasure than injuring humans for the discomfort they imagine we cause them"

Tahir Shah, has done a great job of introducing Morocco to his readers and the account of the renovation of the house made for great reading although I do wonder if he went too far in uprooting his young children from their secure and stable London home and subjecting them the Caliph's House with its decay, the rat infestations, the bloody animal sacrifices meant to appease the jinns and the fetid shanty-town that surrounded the house. But then again, his kids have his genes and noting from his earlier books where he travels to King Solomon Mines in Ethiopia, the Upper Amazon in search of shrunken heads and meeting primitive tribes in Central India, nothing is 'too far' for Tahir Shah.

And then, he makes a good case for why Morocco was attractive to him. He says, Morocco was the first time in his life when he became completely alert. "...In the West, you can drift from day to day in the knowledge that society will protect you and your children. Any problems, and someone will pick you up and dust you off. But after five minutes on North African soil, I knew it was up to me to guard my family. No one else was watching them."

This rang true for me, too. When I lived in India I felt my wits were constantly sharpened because, I had to live by them 24/7. I am a lot more relaxed here in Canada. I feel in some ways my reflexes are so much slower here because I don't need them as much. That lack of safety I felt in Asia was an energizing force but also a huge concern, but is my adopted country cushioning me too much?

In closing, I really enjoyed the book. I feel like I have been given a private viewing into the lives of the people of Morocco. I have learned that while they are extremely superstitious, they are also a very proud nation, where family and honor come before anything else. You can tell that the author came to care deeply for the place and its people, every page in his 368-page book gives him away.

I want to read this book!

"The Looming Fog" by Rosemary Esehagu

# Paperback: 288 pages

# Publisher: Oge Creations Books (June 15, 2006)








I am so pleased and proud to announce that Rosemary Esehagu, who sometimes comments on this blog, has just had her literary debut! "The Looming Fog" which has been published by Oge Creations Books is now available through Amazon, Rosemary's website and at most brick and mortar book stores.

Here is a quick synopsis: ( I promise to do a longer review after I read it which will probably be a couple of weeks from now)

In an isolated village in Nigeria, an intersexed child is born and is instantly motherless. Abandoned by the father at the age of seven, the nameless child is plagued by the isolation and loneliness created by the lack of a social role in the community. When the child receives the gift of omniscient sight and learns of two young women, Kayinne and Onuwa, who despite poverty, subordination, and tragedies are still driven to influence their world, the child realizes that while lacking a defined role in society is a problem, it is even worse to not have the opportunity to choose the roles that dictate one’s life. With these problems, how can one live? How can one ever be happy? Is happiness still genuine if it is at the condemnation of others?

The Looming Fog explores the uniquely human desire to not just live, but to live well—a desire that is the source of our greatest accomplishments and failures.

Sounds so intriguing and thought-provoking! If I wasn't so busy getting ready for this vacation I would have devoured the book the day I received it from Amazon, stopping only to eat and sleep. I can't wait to read this book!

Found this review at News Blaze

And Now You Can Go : A Novel by Vendela Vida

Category: Fiction - Literary

Publisher: Anchor

Format: Trade Paperback, 208 pages

Pub Date: August 2004














What would you do if a man with a gun accosted you in a public park telling you he would shoot if you kept walking? I am sure I would be paralysed into silence, but not the protagonist of Vendela Vida's debut fiction novel; she recited poetry to the man and then suggested they go read up some more poetry at the closest bookstore! With an opening like this, ofcourse I was curious to read the book, wouldn't you be?

Anyway, without giving anything away, the rest of the book deals with how this event dictates the rest of Ellis', (the protagonist), life - it completely consumes her, upsets her emotional balance and affects, sometimes disastrously, her relationships with friends and family. Since this story is set in New York a lot of readers have referred to the incident in the park as being a 9/11 kind of incident, a random attack,but I am not sure if that is what the author had in mind when she wrote it.

One of the most striking things about this book is its prose. Vendela Vida writes in short sentences and her style is succint and precise, there are no wasted words. There is a lot of wry humour and the narrator makes you smile with her seeming fondness for minute details and observations.

However, about halfway through I grew a little bored because apart from the protagonist's see-sawing emotions and the occasional fling with mostly unsuitable men, nothing else seemed to be happening, but then suddenly and most unexpectedly, the narrator takes a trip to the Philippines to help out at a "Doctors Without Borders" kind of program. This little gem of a travelogue inserted within the pages of the story completely changed the momentum of the book and I started to relish every page again.

Don't read this book if you're expecting a thriller because despite its thrilling premise, it is more a story of contemplation, human relationships and of refusing to play the victim. However, I would recommend reading it for its quirky prose.

The Caged Virgin: An Emancipation Proclamation For Women and Islam

Free Press, May 2006

Hardcover, 208 pages

Genre, Current Affairs









I am currently reading "The Caged Virgin" by Ayaan Hirsi Ali. I started off by enjoying it because I felt it helped me understand:

1. The role of women in Islam.

2. The roots of fantaticism.

3. The effects of Western policies toward Islamic countries and immigrant communities.

4. The lack of progress in many Muslim nations.


But, there's been so many controversies over Ms. Hirsi Ali's opinions, many raised by Muslim women themselves, that I have decided not to continue with the book. Instead I will give you two links - one is a pro-Ayaan article by Christopher Hitchens in the Slate and the other, by Laila Lalami in the Nation, who takes a critical view of the book. I will also link you with an interview that Ms. Hirsi Ali did with Alex Chadwick of NPR and let you arrive at your own conclusions.

But before all of that, who is Ayaan Hirsi Ali?

From a brief biography of the Harvard’s Center for Public Leadership

Ayaan Hirsi Ali (born 13 November 1969 in Mogadishu, Somalia) is a Dutch human rights leader, feminist, and a member of the Dutch Parliament for the liberal party. She is a prominent and often controversial spokesperson, author, film maker and critic of Islamism. Her movie “Submission” on abuse of women in Islam, directly led to the murder of the director Theo Van Gogh in November 2004. A death letter left on the body was addressed to Ms Hirsi Ali.

In 2005 Ms Hirsi Ali was chosen among the world’s 100 most influential people of Time Magazine and Reader’s Digest voted her ‘European of the Year 2006’. Meanwhile, she also receives heavy criticism on her views and approaches for change. Ms Hirsi Ali is under severe and permanent security protection.

-->Ayaan Hirsi Ali Interviewed On Channel 4

Luminary Graphics

As many of you know already, I'm going away on vacation to visit family and friends back in India. I know it's not expected, but I do like to take my family little gifts from North America, however, it can be very hard knowing what to buy. Anyway, thanks to last month's "Pages" magazine I think I've found gifts for the literature lovers in my family.

Luminary Grapics has some great bags, cards, magnets, umbrellas, bookmarks etc. with caricatures of famous and well-known writers. I'm sure my aunt will love the bag with the women writers and my dad will not be able to resist the "Shakespeare" coffee mug. My sister, an aspiring writer, will be delighted with the writing journal and how could anyone resist those wonderful and useful bookmarks?

Hope And Other Dangerous Pursuits by Laila Lalami

# Hardcover: 208 pages

# Publisher: Algonquin Books (October 7, 2005)

# Laila Lalami's Literary Blog: Moorish Girl





In honor of World Refugee Day (20th June) I thought I would read Laila Lalami's (Moorish Girl) beautiful little novel, "Hope And Other Dangerous Pursuits". Strictly speaking the characters in this book are not refugees as much as they are desperate people, who for mostly economic reasons, decide to make the perilous and illegal journey by boat (a glorified raft, operated by unscrupulous smugglers) from Morocco over the Strait of Gibraltar and into Spain with stars in their eyes, fervently hoping and praying that they will make it safely into the "land of milk and honey"

The book opens with the collective narrative of a group of about 30 people people on a boat meant for about 8 persons,heading for Tarifa on the coast of Spain, but in the chapters that follow Lalami tells us the individual stories of four of the main characters on the boat, their lives in Morocco and why they chose emigration as a way out and what happens after they return from Spain. There is Faten, a devout Muslim teenager but who finds it difficult to study and hence sees herself at having no prospects; Murad, an unofficial tour guide who, try as he might can never make enough money from his trade because there are more guides than tourists in Morocco; Halima, a mother of three from Casablanca who has an abusive drunkard for a husband and finally Aziz, a carpenter who loves his wife and family but sacrifices all of that to go to, what he thinks, are greener pastures.

I really liked that the author devoted more time to the characters, their lives, their hopes and dreams rather than to the journey itself. I also think she does a remarkable job of conveying the sights,sounds and even the culture of Morocco without taking away from the story which is about the fortunes of this small group of people.

While their journey to hope may have taken place along the Strait of Gibraltar, it could have so easily have been the Rio Grande, because the desperate situation of these Moroccon migrants are eerily similar to the undocumented Mexican migrants who turn up in droves on the borders of the US every day. There is no doubt that wanting to make a better life for oneself, no matter how perilous the cost, is a universal desire and intrinsic human quality.

In closing, I would say this book, although it is not intended to be a political one, does shed light on the poverty, the hardships and unemployment in Morocco which forces its people to risk their lives in the search for a better place to live, also, the wonderful characters that she has crafted has helped put a face, to a group of people the media and its readers normally clump together under the general "illegal aliens" title.

I wonder if Ms. Lalami will give us a book that explores the lives of these migrants in their new homes in Spain. I would surely like to know if life is indeed better for them once they get there? Do they achieve the economic success they have their hearts set upon? Are they allowed to become part of the Spanish society? The fact that I care to know all of that shows that I truly was touched by this book - I think you will be too.

footnote: According to the Christian Science Monitor, Spain has been seeing an unprecedented number of migrants from Africa in recent months and has requested the EU to help out as the large numbers of illegal migrants have threatened to overwhelm the resources of national police and local aid workers. Eight countries have agreed to assist Spain in sending boats, planes, and rapid-response teams to patrol the waters off Morocco, Mauritania, and Senegal...

Also, please visit the PBS link to learn more about human trafficking the world over, but in particular, Morocco.

The Oprah Magazine July 2006

Disclaimer: I am not a fan of the Oprah Show, I rarely read the Oprah Magazine and I can't remember if I've ever read a book recommended by the Oprah Book Club (OK, maybe I have, but not because she recommended it). I don't dislike her, no, not at all...it's just that I'm not a fan.

However, I couldn't help picking up the July issue of the Oprah Magazine... no, it had nothing to do with the cover (which is always the same, Oprah smiling broadly into the camera as if in an advert for Crest white strips), but because it has been adverstised at their First Ever Summer Reading Issue, with 64 book recommendations! I've skimmed through the magazine and it does look good.

I look forward to reading "How To Read a Hard Book", where four literary professors walk us through four monumentally good, but sometimes hard-to-read classics, like "Moby Dick", Proust's "In Search of Lost Time" and so on. Another article that caught my eye is, "Love At First Sentence" - all about books that grab you in the first few lines. I'm still waiting to find out if they have one of my favorite first sentences :

"I have never looked into my sister's eyes. I have never bathed alone. I have never stood in the grass at night and raised my arms to a beguiling moon. I've never used an airplane bathroom. Or worn a hat. Or been kissed like that. I've never driven a car. Or slept through the night. Never a private talk. Or solo walk. I've never climbed a tree. Or faded into a crowd. So many things I've never done, but oh, how I've been loved. And, if such things were to be, I'd live a thousand lives as me, to be loved so exponentially."

Lori Lansens in "The Girls"

I am also really looking forward to reading Harper Lee's letter to Oprah where the author reflects on how she first became a reader and what books mean to her now and Vince Passaro's essay on books and his devotion to the written word. Last, but certainly not least, I await their selection of 32 books for the beach. It's going to be exciting to see what I can find!

Stefanie, of "So Many Books", wrote an open letter to Oprah with regard to the recent Summer issue. Read it here - it made me smile.