[phoenixzeze]

Leaving "Al-Andalus" after the glory and safety is a pain in every Arab man's heart, it is the reminder of failure and defeat........
Many poems and novels remember it as a motif for Arab's defeat and loss.
Amin Malouf, whose life is in many ways similar to Hassan Alwazzan, suffered from that when he had to leave Lebanon to france because of the civil war, and in already having two language speaking parents (English and French), he suffered from his multible identities (just like Al-Wazzan). Feeling shattered and confused between these identities, They both had to reconcile into a more civilized and tolerant identity which can handle all kinds of life and deal with all identites and nationalities as their own.
I loved the novel just like you, one of my favourites.
The loss of Palestine, the loss of Lebanon and the Loss of Iraq, are all mentioned as the continuation of losing the glory and luxury in Al-Andalus or Andalusia.

I ll qoute this line from Leo Africanus :
"Lost home is just like the corpse of a relative, we burry it with solemnity, and believe in its immortality."

Great choice Thomas, hope everyone gets toread it.