Amin Maalouf: Leo The African

[saliotthomas]

Lebanon where should it belong,a bit of african,asia,and Europe.A crossroad.I choosed Europe because Maalouf wrote it in French.

"I am the son of the road , my country is a caravan and my life is the most unexpected of voyages. i belong to earth and to the god and it is to them that I will one day soon return"Amin Maalouf

This is caracteristic of his prose,musical and meaningfull.On reading it the first time,it feel like it was alway there,in you ,waiting to be reaveled.Like an old saying lost in your memorie.
The central personnage Hassan (later Leo) run from spain during the reconquista,and circle the mediterannne(Fez,Alexandria,Istanbul) to end up in Italie serving the popes Leon then Clement.The story is based on a true one,the journal of Leo the african.There is politics,phylosophie,adventure in this tale.The period is one of fabulous change in europeen/mediterranean history.
Certainly one of the best book i ever read,and i read it 5 or 6 times.
read it ,re-read it,my bible!!