The third part in the internationally acclaimed Islam Quintet
Istanbul, 1899. The last great Islamic empire is in serious trouble. The family of Iskender Pasha, an Ottoman notable, has retired to its summer palace. Then a former tutor poses a question which the family has been refusing to confront for almost a century: 'Your Ottoman Empire is like a drunken prostitute, neither knowing nor caring who will take her next. Do I exaggerate, Memed?'
This passionate story of jealousies, betrayals and vendettas charts the decay of the Empire and the rise of a new generation which is deeply hostile to the myths of the 'golden days.' The power of the 'Islam Quintet' lies both in the story-telling and its challenge against stereotyped images of life under Islam.
What People Are Saying
"Ali spins a web of tales that is as inventive and fantastical as the Arabian nights." Times
"... an Eastern Magic Mountain." London Review of Books
"This Chekhov-like scenario of intense emotion within a creaking social structure constructs a rich picture of history and the way we think about history." Times Literary Supplement
"Tales of anguish, longing, lust and love all find their way to The Stone Woman. Ali paints a vivid picture of a fading world." New York Times Book Review
About the Author
Tariq Ali is a writer and filmmaker. He has written more than a dozen books on world history and politics—including Pirates of the Caribbean, Bush in Babylon, The Clash of Fundamentalisms and The Obama Syndrome—as well as five novels in his Islam Quintet series and scripts for the stage and screen. He is an editor of the New Left Review and lives in London.