- Hardcover: 256 pages
- Publisher: Quartet Books (Nov 1 1996)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0704371065
- ISBN-13: 978-0704371064
- Product Dimensions: 21.4 x 14 x 2.8 cm
- Shipping Weight: 481 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #2,059,072 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
An absorbing historical novel and a compelling parable for our time, Lebanese writer Maalouf's (Samarkand) exotic tale recreates the life of Mani (216-274 C.E.), the Persian mystic who founded the Manichaean religion and was eventually executed on the grounds of heresy. Forced, from the age of five to his mid-20s, to stay among the sadistic white-clad Brethren of his father's repressive religious community, the Parthian prophet begins to develop his own system of belief. Synthesizing the teachings of Jesus, Buddha and Zoroaster, Mani emphasizes tolerance and pacifism, not?as Western historians often claim?a reductive good vs. evil code., After he escapes, Mani sails to India, wins many converts and returns home to become protege and counsel to open-minded Persian King Shapur I. Shapur's beset with warmongering Zoroastrian priests who itch to impose fire worship on the whole empire. But it is his treacherous son's succession to the throne that sounds Mani's death knell. Though court intrigue sometimes stalls this earnest tale, Mani's message resounds across the centuries. Maalouf (who won France's 1993 Prix Goncourt for his novel The Rock of Tanios) imaginatively fleshes out the essence of Mani's life from scant biographical clues, rendering a portrait of a martyred visionary whose tale has gone largely untold.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.
Review
A voice which Europe cannot afford to ignore. GUARDIAN Amin Maalouf weaves tapestries of intrigue that illuminate a broader historical moment... in his engaging prose [he goes] a considerable way towards restoring Mani to us...as eloquent as ever. THE TIMES A romantic and affectionate tale... engaging. TLS A master storyteller... and his observation of human nature in all its facets is wonderfully accurate. SUNDAY TELEGRAPH
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
flower resplendent,
By Alvaro Lewis "jwatson5" (Redwood City, CA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Gardens Of Light (Paperback)
Maalouf's glorious novel vivifies the age and the mind of the prophet, Mani. The Roman Empire is weak. Persian kings are intermittently strong. The deserts, oases, gardens, roads and cities brim with the excitements of new ways of thinking and new ways of living. Christianity, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, the followers of Mani, and other communities of shared belief, vie not just for converts, but for existence. Military power, Roman or Persian, will nurture only a faith conducive to a perpetuation of that power. The thought of Mani, gloriously, fosters universal tolerance of belief and worship, in a world obsessed with the dominance and mastery of one, one power, one faith, one way. Those who create the powerful seem as crookedly straight as those who bear the power. Mani has concerns greater almost than power. This novel portrays a tremendously vivid and vital world of merchants, kings, priests, powers and places. Maalouf admirably ranges the Mediterranean and Middle East and with his central character, Mani, (portrayed sympathetically but not over-indulgently so) aims not for mass conversion but for understanding and education. The fluctuation in support that Mani receives from his most powerful admirers seems to genuinely express the fickle nature of the relationship that exists between wisdom and power. Maalouf has authored a fine historical novel that avoids at all times plodding plotting and tedium. With plausible characters, relationships, ideas, and a clear appreciation for the subject, the author has made this novel an opportunity for a meaningful reading experience of high quality.
4.0 out of 5 stars
A bold project, artfully executed,
By
This review is from: Gardens Of Light (Paperback)
Maalouf's historical novel brims with insight into the ideas and times of the religious leader Mani. I had studied historians'conclusions on the prophet, and much of the minimalist period evidence available as compiled by GRS Mead. But this novel brought those belief systems to life in new and fascinating ways. A bold project, artfully executed. Read and enjoy.
5.0 out of 5 stars
A beautifully written, heartbreaking book.,
By A Customer
This review is from: Gardens Of Light (Hardcover)
The Gardens of Light is the sort of book which lingers in one's mind long after he has set it down. A historical novel, it reconstructs the life and trials of Mani, the true life third century prophet of a new religion, Manichaeism. A sophisticated religion which sees "light" and "darkness" in all things, and creation itself the product of their mixture, Manichaeism is unique in that it respects all religions and their prophets, whether Jesus or the Buddha. The title itself is an allusion to mani's conception of heaven, a "garden of light."Beautifully written in verse which at times reads like poetry, the story recounts Mani's life from the time he was raised by a fanatical group of Nazarine monks in Mesopotamia to his ultimate martyrdom. Along the way he forms an unusual alliance with Shapur, the great King of Kings of Persia. the book is fascinating for the glimpse it gives of the ancient Persian court, and the relationship Mani forms with Shapur... how Shapur accepted mani's teachings, since Mani taught tolerance and harmony. Shapur shared these goals, but not merely because of his character - such a religion would help bind the various peoples of his vast empire together, much as Constantine adopted Christianity to help unite his. And here lies the true beauty of this book - it's exploration of what motivates men of power, and of faith. Ultimately, Mani's true story is a meditation on the nature of beauty, faith, and tolerance. Never ever boring, The Gardens of Light will introduce the reader to strange religions, important historical personages such as Shapur, and exotic places such as the Persian Empire and India in the third century. I consider the time I spent reading this book to have been uplifting and educational. I highly recommend this book.
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