Book by Schami Rafik
Die Inhaltsangabe kann sich auf eine andere Ausgabe dieses Titels beziehen.
It is 1959, Damascus. The most famous storyteller in Damascus, Salim, the coachman, has mysteriously lost his voice. For seven nights, his seven old friends gather to break the spell with their seven different, unique stories -- some personal, some modern, some borrowed from the past. Against the backdrop of shifting Middle Eastern politics, Schami's eight characters, lost to the Arabian nights, weave in and out of tales of wizards and princesses, of New York skyscrapers and America. With spellbinding power, Schami imparts a luscious vision of storytelling as food for thought and salve for the soul, as the glue which holds our lives together.
Rafik Schami
Rafik Schami was born in Damascus, Syria, in 1946 where his family has lived for generations. He was supposed to be a baker, but decided instead to become a chemist. In 1971, at the age of seventeen, he emigrated to Germany where he worked in factories and department stores, restaurants and construction until he received his doctorate in chemistry in 1979. "I thought I would rather be a chemist," he says, "and discover a formula for immortality, but instead I discovered that only literature makes one live forever." After seventeen years, Schami gave up his work as a chemist and began a writing career. He claims to be "working on the immortality question. You see," he says. "I can't stand death."
Storytelling is a deep-rooted tradition in Syrian culture, and Schami feels particularly drawn to it. He loves to tell stories aloud and thrives on watching the transformation in his listeners as they leave the world of their thoughts and begin to travel with him. "This moment of magic fills me with a peculiar sort of happiness," he says. To him, there is no better payment.
Schami feels that he has a special kinship to children. He believes that it is the child inside of us who loves to hear stories; he claims it is only the child in us who can enter the fictional world. "An adult who has stifled the child within," Schami says, "cannot hear stories."
He says he once dreamed that his writing would have a great effect upon society. Since then, his goals have grown more modest. He says now, "I simply want to outwit death for a few more years. But I have a trick. I try to write so well that my books and my voice will live for a long time. This will make Death absolutely furious."
Schami is now a successful children's book author and a professional storyteller in the Syrian tradition. A Hand Full of Stars, a child's book published in 1991, was a winner of the Mildred D. Batchelder Award. He lives in Germany where he works as a freelance writer.
Reading Group Discussion Points
Other Books With Reading Group Guides
„Über diesen Titel“ kann sich auf eine andere Ausgabe dieses Titels beziehen.
Versand:
Gratis
Innerhalb der USA
Versand:
Gratis
Innerhalb der USA
Anbieter: Wonder Book, Frederick, MD, USA
Zustand: Very Good. Very Good condition. A copy that may have a few cosmetic defects. May also contain light spine creasing or a few markings such as an owner's name, short gifter's inscription or light stamp. Bundled media such as CDs, DVDs, floppy disks or access codes may not be included. Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers V10B-04767
Anzahl: 1 verfügbar
Anbieter: Wonder Book, Frederick, MD, USA
Zustand: Good. Good condition. A copy that has been read but remains intact. May contain markings such as bookplates, stamps, limited notes and highlighting, or a few light stains. Bundled media such as CDs, DVDs, floppy disks or access codes may not be included. Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers V06A-03873
Anzahl: 1 verfügbar
Anbieter: ThriftBooks-Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ, USA
Paperback. Zustand: Very Good. No Jacket. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 0.65. Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers G0684802651I4N00
Anzahl: 1 verfügbar
Anbieter: ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, TX, USA
Paperback. Zustand: Very Good. No Jacket. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 0.65. Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers G0684802651I4N00
Anzahl: 1 verfügbar
Anbieter: HPB Inc., Dallas, TX, USA
paperback. Zustand: Very Good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!. Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers S_402116996
Anzahl: 1 verfügbar
Anbieter: WorldofBooks, Goring-By-Sea, WS, Vereinigtes Königreich
Paperback. Zustand: Very Good. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers GOR013470177
Anzahl: 1 verfügbar
Anbieter: The Book Spot, Sioux Falls, SD, USA
Paperback. Zustand: New. Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers Abebooks144306
Anzahl: 1 verfügbar