The Scarecrow

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism
Cover of the book The Scarecrow by Ibrahim al-Koni, University of Texas Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Ibrahim al-Koni ISBN: 9781477307090
Publisher: University of Texas Press Publication: August 1, 2015
Imprint: Center for Middle Eastern Studies, University of Texas at Austin Language: English
Author: Ibrahim al-Koni
ISBN: 9781477307090
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Publication: August 1, 2015
Imprint: Center for Middle Eastern Studies, University of Texas at Austin
Language: English
The Scarecrow is the final volume of Ibrahim al-Koni's Oasis trilogy, which chronicles the founding, flourishing, and decline of a Saharan oasis. Fittingly, this continuation of a tale of greed and corruption opens with a meeting of the conspirators who assassinated the community's leader at the end of the previous novel, The Puppet. They punished him for opposing the use of gold in business transactions—a symptom of a critical break with their nomadic past—and now they must search for a leader who shares their fetishistic love of gold. A desert retreat inspires the group to select a leader at random, but their "choice," it appears, is not entirely human. This interloper from the spirit world proves a self-righteous despot, whose intolerance of humanity presages disaster for an oasis besieged by an international alliance. Though al-Koni has repeatedly stressed that he is not a political author, readers may see parallels not only to a former Libyan ruler but to other tyrants—past and present—who appear as hollow as a scarecrow.
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
The Scarecrow is the final volume of Ibrahim al-Koni's Oasis trilogy, which chronicles the founding, flourishing, and decline of a Saharan oasis. Fittingly, this continuation of a tale of greed and corruption opens with a meeting of the conspirators who assassinated the community's leader at the end of the previous novel, The Puppet. They punished him for opposing the use of gold in business transactions—a symptom of a critical break with their nomadic past—and now they must search for a leader who shares their fetishistic love of gold. A desert retreat inspires the group to select a leader at random, but their "choice," it appears, is not entirely human. This interloper from the spirit world proves a self-righteous despot, whose intolerance of humanity presages disaster for an oasis besieged by an international alliance. Though al-Koni has repeatedly stressed that he is not a political author, readers may see parallels not only to a former Libyan ruler but to other tyrants—past and present—who appear as hollow as a scarecrow.

More books from University of Texas Press

Cover of the book Land of Bears and Honey by Ibrahim al-Koni
Cover of the book The Concubine, the Princess, and the Teacher by Ibrahim al-Koni
Cover of the book A Place of Darkness by Ibrahim al-Koni
Cover of the book Maya after War by Ibrahim al-Koni
Cover of the book Cosmopolitan Minds by Ibrahim al-Koni
Cover of the book Contemporary Portugal by Ibrahim al-Koni
Cover of the book Outsider in the Promised Land by Ibrahim al-Koni
Cover of the book The American Robin by Ibrahim al-Koni
Cover of the book Murder on the White Sands by Ibrahim al-Koni
Cover of the book Rich’s Farewell to Military Profession, 1581 by Ibrahim al-Koni
Cover of the book Maya Intellectual Renaissance by Ibrahim al-Koni
Cover of the book Forms of Modern British Fiction by Ibrahim al-Koni
Cover of the book Handbook of Middle American Indians, Volume 9 by Ibrahim al-Koni
Cover of the book After San Jacinto by Ibrahim al-Koni
Cover of the book Unlearning the Language of Conquest by Ibrahim al-Koni
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy