V.S. Naipaul
Paperback | Pages: 495 pages Rating: 3.85 | 2048 Users | 153 Reviews
Define Out Of Books Among the Believers : An Islamic Journey
| Title | : | Among the Believers : An Islamic Journey |
| Author | : | V.S. Naipaul |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | First Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 495 pages |
| Published | : | September 19th 2003 by Picador (first published 1981) |
| Categories | : | Travel. Nonfiction. Religion. Islam. History |
Narrative During Books Among the Believers : An Islamic Journey
The book is sheer intellection. Naipaul proceeds by letting Muslim converts -- not those who were born to the faith -- speak for themselves. He questions them pointedly. The monologues are interspersed with sequences of analysis so brilliant, so penetrating, that they consistently astound, at times conveying insights that take the breath away. This is not classic travel narrative. This is not Dalrymple or Theroux, which is not to slight those writers. But there's very little description or sense of landscape here, no colorful characters appear to relieve the considerable tension. For Naipaul's questions are not always easy ones to answer and his interlocutors tend to squirm at times. Rather, one has the sense of being Naipaul, that is to say, of following his rigorous thought processes from inception to conclusion. I have never read anything like it. To my mind, it's an entirely new form. That it gives us Muslim points of view is important and necessary, especially today, but it is the book's structure and seamless execution, that is to my mind its true achievement.Declare Books To Among the Believers : An Islamic Journey
| Original Title: | Among the Believers: An Islamic Journey |
| ISBN: | 0330413333 (ISBN13: 9780330413336) |
| Edition Language: | English |
Rating Out Of Books Among the Believers : An Islamic Journey
Ratings: 3.85 From 2048 Users | 153 ReviewsJudgment Out Of Books Among the Believers : An Islamic Journey
Given Naipaul's reputation as a biting and incisive critic of postcolonial societies and Muslim ones in particular, I expected to have strong feelings about this book. To my surprise I found myself relatively indifferent. "Among the Believers" is a compilation of Naipaul's travels from Iran to Southeast Asia, at a time in history, 1979 to 1981, that would later be seen as an inflection point for the Muslim world. Among other things he is a direct witness to the immediate aftermath of the IranianI read this book when I was living in the Middle East and it was a refreshing depiction from an outsider of my world at the time, where I had thought everything was okay. I was grateful for the new perspective he gave me, leading me to realize that I could never make the Middle East my permanenet residence. Reading this book was one of the many gentle nudges I received during that time to try and find another place to call home.
The book is sheer intellection. Naipaul proceeds by letting Muslim converts -- not those who were born to the faith -- speak for themselves. He questions them pointedly. The monologues are interspersed with sequences of analysis so brilliant, so penetrating, that they consistently astound, at times conveying insights that take the breath away. This is not classic travel narrative. This is not Dalrymple or Theroux, which is not to slight those writers. But there's very little description or sense
Naipaul's dour critique of four Islamic nations describes a world that is largely without history. One would never know to read it that the formation of autocratic states throughout the Muslim world occurred in relationship to a host of external pressures and factors, not the least of which being repeated intrusion of the most ignominious sort from the West. But for Naipaul, blame for the faults of the Muslim world must simply be rooted in nature of the religious culture. It's like writing a
Exhausting, but full of insight and interest, sometimes frightening.
Naipal begins his journey in Iran, just after the its revolution. Then he visits Pakistan, Malaysia and Indonesia and returns to Iran just after the taking of the hostages at the US embassy. He meets educators, writers, government workers, students and the unemployed in cities and rural areas. Some he seeks out, others he meets serendipitously. He asks them about their lives and their hopes for the future.Two refrains emerge. One is cognitive dissonance regarding the west. It is a despised place
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