Vivid portrayal of Arabic civilisation at critical time

It also caused considerable controversy, although it’s less likely to do so in secular Europe. Nevertheless, as well as unveiling a lost history, it inspires the reader to re-consider the origins of doctrine. (Ziedan is a respected specialist in Arabic and Islamic studies.) It’s also a novel that vividly evokes the landscape and portrays Arabic civilisation at a tumultuous time in history.

The translator’s introduction suggests the text comes from ancient scrolls discovered by a European antiquarian: “This book… contains as faithful a translation as possible of a collection of parchment manuscripts …written in the first half of the fifth century of the Christian era … ” Instantly we imagine we’re on the verge of some fantastic discovery. And we aren’t let down.

The narrator is Hypa, a young, doubt-wracked Coptic monk and scholar who collects forbidden books. He wonders why Azazeel — otherwise known as Satan — is pushing him to record his confessions and the events he witnesses. Of course, Azazeel is simply his own inner voice. He obeys, hoping that by doing so, his crisis of faith will be healed.

That took place two years previously, word for word. We believe this, because he’s already demonstrated his facility with languages — as well as Coptic, he knows Greek and Hebrew, and writes in Aramaic.

Hypa gets his first view of the sea, and also encounters Octavia, a beautiful pagan woman, when he survives a near-drowning. I felt undeniably voyeuristic, reading about her stripping of his innocence: “Octavia held me tight, took my lower lip between her lips and began to run her tongue along the line of it until I almost passed out from the tremour of pleasure.” On witnessing the Christian mob lynching of the pagan Hypatia, a renowned philosopher and mathematician, he flees the city, thereafter taking a version of her name as his own, in homage to her.

After spending time in Jerusalem and Syria, he settles in a remote monastery where he gains a reputation as a respected doctor. Here he meets Martha, a young singer, and is tempted once more. Hypa’s spiritual torment is increased when Nestorius, his mentor, is deemed to be a heretic by Bishop Cyril, and excommunicated.

While much of the book details with the minutiae of a scholarly monk’s quiet, meditative life, there are moments of soaringly exquisite descriptions and harrowing doubts when he is confronted by his own physical passions.

Hypa’s vulnerabilities, combined with his undoubted intelligence, and the strangely alluring language, make for a gripping novel. It’s his lifelong search for meaning, as much as the religious feuding and power play, that will last with me. All credit to Jonathan Wright for his beautifully lyrical translation. An unusual and memorable novel. If you’ve never read an Arabic book before, this is an excellent place to start.

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