the merchant and the alchemist's gate theme the merchant and the alchemist's gate theme

Excellent! [1] In 2019, the novelette was included in the collection of short stories Exhalation: Stories. This one however revolves around time travel / alternative lives. For a while it had seemed that Chiang would continue exclusively to work as a story writer, as it was difficult to conceive of a full-length novel sustaining the intense unremitting focus of his best work. on 50-99 accounts. Full size (pixels) 600 wide x 960 high Permalink See all Gallery appearances of Chiang. Fate guides Fuwaad ibn Abbas, a well-travelled purveyor of fine fabrics, to an intriguing shop in the metalsmiths' quarter of Baghdad. Despite the alchemist's warning that "what is made cannot be unmade," and three illustrative tales about others' attempts to alter the past, the merchant is determined to return to an earlier time to save his long-dead wife. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 21, 2007. The prose is just ok perhaps, but what I found more surprising is the impeccable way the author deals with the subject of time travel. He tells himself that he read analysis of The Unimportance of Death and Fear Previous Epilogue Next The Pursuit of Your Personal Legend Purchasing It is always interesting to note an absence when you finally observe a presence, and while there were (a few) black and Native American authors, and an increasing acceptance of woman authors, in the 20th century, youll notice very few, if any Asian names in best of anthologies before the 2000s. [1] In 2019, the novelette was included in the collection of short stories Exhalation: Stories. maintains a crystal shop on the top of a hill in Tangier, and was rather successful Save over 50% with a SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan! The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate. Loved the fairy tale like feel, the time travel, the narration. This surprised me. We only accept submissions from writers who can benefit from a larger platform. It's revealed that his circumstances and journey are extraordinary. The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate Quotes Showing 1-4 of 4. You'll be billed after your free trial ends. His novelette "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate" was also published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. But the patient reader who heeds Fuwaadsand Chiangsentreaty will find a narrative every bit as dizzying and mindbending as the writers reputation suggests: 1001 Arabian Nights by way of Back to the Future Part II. The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate Ted Chiang Published by Subterranean Press(2007) ISBN 10: 1596061006ISBN 13: 9781596061002 UsedHardcoverFirst EditionQuantity: 1 Seller: Preferred Books (Rancho Cucamonga, CA, U.S.A.) Rating Seller Rating: Book Description Hardcover. Sometimes it can end up there. To give even the barest summary risks doing you, the reader, a disservice. z&^*0)Y\cxfT{|uZNactP(",!A`RxI'l.IL$1V?8],+Ef^=6|:-CQ.JW1>>wV+O_dgvc2d]G /Q0V@"Z ZQ='vxoN` gAuDF Q 5Fl*2-"8PVBVC)#?%aL+;M.?+2u>g In a series of narratives we come to know that using this device can be . conservative approach to life, but he feels rooted in his ways. In the first tale, the rope-maker Hassan learns where to find a buried treasure that will make him wealthy. FB7 V!Ov??4DEv+V.UXi(X'=&SW-2 fSJpJ,37]#Y%A: ]Z$;9X G9!SZqgln-[_WG 6 !5i' DxN] l$36t>(R9n{0B?xsc|F_.~*$UGXC`8d@(d-ylZr /CS}z&_+8"'01sf!B=ZkbZo\p4M i,nuMq^x~UXN|+V8nc%ZQWHV8JVi+c{"Q_#A=,'_b-zHIF+[~l((6 bBs53MZQ| yp}:bYhlDqNp2&y,3/9Sj5L\ +{06L`hH++!ndS+{`5^.#@}K"E Also blogs at A Fistful of Euros, though less frequently than here these days. I recently read The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate from author Ted Chiang. Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2013. The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate is a wonderful and touching blend of Middle Eastern storytelling and matter-of-fact, accessible science fiction. You mean you can turn base metal into gold? Discover more of the authors books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more. Ted Chiang is becoming an author to watch out for now, and looking back on this novella from earlier days I only wish I'd got it when it was published. In the second tale, a man named Ajib steals money from his future self, leading to misfortune. This novelette won the Hugo in 2007. Semantic Scholar is a free, AI-powered research tool for scientific literature, based at the Allen Institute for AI. You may find one more agreeable to look at, but you cannot say one is true and the other is false. (p. 75). until the city fell out of favor as a port. By signing up you agree to our terms and privacy policy. understand his motives when he refuses to change his ways, even after Santiago shows Members will be prompted to log in or create an account to redeem their group membership. The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate - Sci-fi & Fantasy Anthology Fantasy Required Readings The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate Read Online Another twist to SF and fantasy of the last ten years is the emergence of prominent international authors, and a more solid footing for authors of color. My problem was that I'm pretty sure that I've read it before in an anthology or something, though I don't remember what the anthology was, and I wish this had been clearer so that I would have known that I had already read the story before I bought it. Performing Arts. , Subterranean; First Edition (July 23, 2007), Language The story as a whole is broken into several parts, which nest and braid together in a way that isnt obvious from the beginning. The first story in the collection is "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate," a compact, interwoven series of tales that discusses a time-shifting "gate" that allows people to move. 20% Many embrace unconventional structures, like Daceys Patent Automatic Nanny, framed as a catalog entry for a museum of imaginary artifacts, or the brilliant The Truth of Fact, The Fact of Feeling, which weaves together two tales separated by continents and centuries to explore the relationship between human memory and the emergence of new technologies. Donate . Fuwaad is prosperous, trading in fine fabrics, though his father was a grain merchant. The device in the merchants shop is a time-travel loop, in which a hand placed through the loop in one direction does not emerge from the other until some seconds later. Thanks for creating a SparkNotes account! laser ignition devices?) who has become complacent and given up the pursuit of his Personal Legend. << /Length 5 0 R /Filter /FlateDecode >> Besides, to reduce Chiangs fiction to its sci-fi componentsalternate timelines, artificial intelligence, etc.is to grossly miss the point. Although he is a good man who is Eventually, interconnections between the four storiessurface, and they boggle the mind, more so, perhaps, than anyof the tales of similareffect in Chiang's dazzling Stories of Your Life and Others (2002). This is a mesmerizing short story, and a worthy successor for Chiang's previous collection: Stories of Your Life and Others. The Merchant And The Alchemists Gate. Currently based in Berlin, following stints in Moscow, Tbilisi, Munich, Washington, Warsaw, Budapest and Atlanta. I found it was brilliantly written. No two of Exhalations stories are alike. Exhalation is his first book in nearly two decadessince 2002s Stories of Your Life and Othersand brings together the mere seven (!) It's a wonderful story. example of the dangers of an unfulfilled life, evident in his disappointment over If it pleases your Majesty, he offers, I will recount it here.. It's a story that includes not just . He graduated from Brown University with a Computer Science degree. New work from the notoriously non-prolific Chiang is, to put it mildly, an event. imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices. stream , Hardcover once hes achieved his dream. (July), Here's the first must-read SF book of the year. But for many years I owned a shop in Cairo, and it was there that I first built a Gate of Years. on 2-49 accounts, Save 30% Hearing Bashaarats words, I felt as if I were reeling. : The longest, the moving and magisterial The Lifecycle of Software Objects, spans more than a hundred pages; the shortest barely cracks four. The crystal merchant is unwilling to pursue his Personal Legend (and the requirement of his religious faith) by traveling to Mecca, because he is afraid of what his life will be like after completing this goal. In the third tale, Hassan's wife Raniya travels forward and backward in time to protect her husband and teach him how to be a good lover. (The baker is another irredeemable character, as When Fuwaad again expresses his skepticism, Bashaarat offers to show him something no one else has seen before. to make a pilgrimage to Mecca because he thinks he will have nothing to live for "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate" is from EXHALATION by Ted Chiang, published by Penguin Random House Audio, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin . Listen to this episode from LeVar Burton Reads on Spotify. Works that focus on the former often neglect the latter, and vice versa. I am trying to read more short-stories, because they give you such a lot of return for such a small investment! [4] In a review of Chiang's collection Exhalation, Kirkus Reviews commented specifically on The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate, calling it "an instant classic". Above all, it's a story about recognizing the will of Allah and accepting it, no matter what form it takes. The crystal merchant is the most fully fleshed-out irredeemable character in The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate by Ted Chiang, July 23, 2007, Subterranean Press edition, Hardcover in English. Brief content visible, double tap to read full content. Citation: Ted, Chiang. The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate is from EXHALATION by Ted Chiang, published by Penguin Random House Audio, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.This episode is sponsored by Penguin Random House (www.penguinrandomhouse.com/levar) and Betterhelp (www.betterhelp.com/levar code: LEVAR). Highly recommended. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we dont use a simple average. It's a story that includes not just buried treasure and a band of thieves, but also men haunted by their past and others trapped by their future; it includes not just a beloved wife and a veiled seductress, but also long journeys taken by caravan and even longer ones taken with a single step. "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate by Ted Chiang", "Review | Ted Chiang's 'Exhalation,' like his story that inspired 'Arrival,' fuses intellect and emotion", "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate: Ted Chiang: Subterranean Press, 83 pages", "Fiction Book Review: The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate", Adrift Just Off the Islets of Langerhans: Latitude 38 54' N, Longitude 77 00' 13" W, If at First You Don't Succeed, Try, Try Again, The Doors of His Face, the Lamps of His Mouth, Time Considered as a Helix of Semi-Precious Stones, Sinner, Baker, Fabulist, Priest; Red Mask, Black Mask, Gentleman, Beast, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Merchant_and_the_Alchemist%27s_Gate&oldid=1089286923, Hugo Award for Best Novelette winning works, Works originally published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Nebula Award for Best Novelette-winning works, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, "Enter a Soldier. Please try again. A wandering merchant in medieval Baghdad is brought before the Caliph, and recounts tales of ingenious gates that allow time travel to the past and future. Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required. At The Masters Review, our mission is to support emerging writers. It begins when he is searching for a gift to give a business associate and happens to discover a new shop in the marketplace. C=3AP&(90@4\JCViJ$T 8? https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2015/04/27/the-merchant-and-the-alchemists-gate-by-ted-chiang/, Taking Stock of 2015 The Frumious Consortium, We Never Talk About My Brother by Peter S. Beagle, Women Of Myth by Jenny Williamson & Genn McMenemy, Fitter. Tien-chi Chiang. What do most seek, then? The first part is also called The Merchant and the Alchemists Gate, and starts with a scene from The 1001 Nights, with the first-person addressing the mighty Caliph and Commander of the Faithful and promising that were the entirety to be tattooed at the corner of ones eye, the marvel of its presentation would not exceed that of the events recounted.. 3334). Narrators who, at first glance, appear to be human turn out to be anything but; settings that seem like our world are gradually revealed to besomething else entirely. It was a prized location that must have been expensive to acquire, so I entered to peruse its wares. It is filled with wonders, the like of which Fuwaad has never seen before. The Alchemist. That is all, but that is enough. Renew your subscription to regain access to all of our exclusive, ad-free study tools. There is repentance, there is atonement, and there is forgiveness. Its a magical store, of course, or at the very least a shop run by a learned person with access to the products of a great many cunning artificers. ). The merchant and the alchemist's gate Find a copy in the library Finding libraries that hold this item. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations. years, plus two new stories written for this book. This curious time-travel novella from Hugo-winner Chiang ( Stories of Your Life and Others ) is a gracefully told lesson about accepting fateor, as better suits this medieval Arabian setting, the. etina (cs) Deutsch (de) English (en) Espaol (es) Franais (fr) . Subscribe now. Please try again. [5], It won the 2008 Hugo Award for Best Novelette[6] and the 2008 Nebula Award for Best Novelette.[7]. creating and saving your own notes as you read. Stronger. Youve successfully purchased a group discount. Fuwaad journeys to Cairo. : .tSO:dYKKu+b6[317XoN^PCz&DW3w;)SADZky~\#,B] 1RAt}{'b0>~XBU$8l#X&Bck F=? -MP`3I;i.n{`2"e>(] B+]2~jRhs_O:?EO EUAp:{}0' GGI)/o`ZHrU"^[Dxsm7Gk#gTaA\1Zl aaabMgO?FlOSAGGMup=DVCY1. Irene Woodward, a tough New Yorker, covers up the bruises received, Lin-Greenbergs exceptional debut novel (after the collection Vanished) explores a complex web of relationships at a fading mall in Albany, N.Y. Also available online through the WCC Library databases. To tell you any more would mean I would start to give the story away. Time paradoxes, physics being broken and non-linear timelines all lead to plot holes in the hands of an inexperienced author. The novella The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate (2007 chap) is an intricately woven Oriental Fantasy involving Time Travel. Time travel stories are notoriously hard to tell with any success. his own life decisions. Stepping through the Gate of Years moves the stepper twenty years forward of backwards in time. Episode 89: The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate - YouTube "Grief burns but does not consume." A grieving merchant stumbles into the shop of an Alchemist, who shows him a device that. This story was an absolute joy to read. A very short book set in medieval Baghdad. The Assassins Gate, a widely read book about the invasion, was published two years before Chiangs novelette.) This curious time-travel novella from Hugo-winner Chiang (. ) TO CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION AND AVOID BEING CHARGED, YOU MUST CANCEL BEFORE THE END OF THE FREE TRIAL PERIOD. The universe began as a giant breath being held, Chiang writes in the title story, likening the ever-expanding space around us as a giant exhalation. Within these nine, glittering narratives, we can glimpse the possibilities such an exhalation might hold: the thrumming complexities of the heart, the malleability of time, a universe that only grows more expansive and mysterious with each passing minute. The story I have to tell is truly a strange one, and were the entirety to be tattooed at the corner of . Not that it isn't worth rereading. 4 0 obj In medieval Baghdad, a merchant obtains an audience with the caliph toapprise him ofa merchant-alchemist whohas created doors between past and future. In medieval Baghdad, a penniless man is brought before the most powerful man in the world, the caliph himself, to tell his story. "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate" is from EXHALATION by Ted Chiang, published by Penguin Random House Audio, an. For the next 7 days, you'll have access to awesome PLUS stuff like AP English test prep, No Fear Shakespeare translations and audio, a note-taking tool, personalized dashboard, & much more! In other words, the novel portrays his fate as one to avoid, despite the ? This episode is sponsored by Penguin Random House . Many thanks to Cheri and Kevin for another delightful experience. In medieval Baghdad, a penniless man is brought before the most powerful man in the world, the caliph himself, to tell his story. Book Summary. He relays the tales the door maker told him about a rope maker and a weaver whoeachventured through a 20-year-spanning door more than once, and then the tale of the well-to-do man's wife who did the sameall before heimparts his own time-hopping adventure. If you wish, I can tell you the story of one such person. Bashaarat proceeded to tell me such a story, and if it pleases Your Majesty, I will recount it here. Bashaarat regrets that he cannot honor the request, as the Gate in Baghdad has just been completed. We publish articles and book reviews on the blog and hold workshops that connect emerging and established writers. We're sorry, SparkNotes Plus isn't available in your country. Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video! When a potential customer walks in, the inventor offers him the chance to go through his gateway and through time - but first he tells the stories of three other people who took such a journey, and what befell them. The first part is also called The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate, and starts with a scene from The 1001 Nights, with the first-person addressing the "mighty Caliph and Commander of the Faithful" and promising that "were the entirety to be tattooed at the corner of one's eye, the marvel of its presentation would not exceed that of . I wish I could tell you more, but that would be spoilers. A very engaging story. I knew it was foolhardy; men of experience say, Four things do not come back: the spoken word, the sped arrow, the past life, and the neglected opportunity, and I understood the truth of those words better than most. Theres a joy in it, the thrill of discovery, of following Chiangs inquisitive mind wherever it may lead. I'm not entirely sure what Ted does with his time, since over the course of seventeen years, he's written fewer than a dozen short stories, the sum of which would easily fit into a typical novel. A poor man is brought before the Caliph. Wed love to have you back! Another twist of the braid, and Bashaarat tells The Tale of the Wife and Her Lover. The weavers wife hops back and forth through the Gate of Years more than any other character, conspiring with herself and running roughshod on anyone elses notion of causality. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness. We publish fiction and nonfiction online year round and put out an annual anthology of the ten best emerging writers in the country, judged by an expert in the field. "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate," the first story in Ted Chiang's luminous new collection Exhalation, opens with a benediction: "O mighty caliph and commander of the faithful, I am humbled to be in the splendor of your presence."Our narrator, Fuwaad ibn Abbas, informs us that he was born "here in Baghdad, City of Peace," and that he has spent his life as a "purveyor of . : At the conclusion of that tale, Fuwaad asks to visit his own past. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson, Apr It looks like you're offline. : Pancha Tantra - Five Wise Lessons: A Vivid Retelling of India's Most Famous Collection of Fables. Learn more. , ! An additional star for the enriching discussions Another excellent story by Ted Chiang actually, it's three stories, set in a framing device. Renews March 10, 2023 In a chance meeting with an Alchemist, Bashaarat, Fuwad comes across Bashaarat's invention, a contraption which Basharat calls - "The Gate of Years". The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate Ted Chiang O MIGHTY CALIPH AND Commander of the Faithful, I am humbled to be in the splendor of your presence; a man can hope for no greater blessing as long as he lives. The younger version listens to the older, gaining many tips on staying alive amid accident and disease, living to an old age in wealth and comfort. This edition,from Subterranean Press, is beautifully illustrated, both bookcover and interior designs. Four things do not come back: the spoken word, the sped arrow, the past life, and the neglected opportunity.. Sorry, there was a problem loading this page. The Father in "Fullmetal Alchemist" claims he wants knowledge and to achieve perfection. " The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate " is a fantasy novelette by American writer Ted Chiang, originally published in 2007 by Subterranean Press and reprinted in the September 2007 issue of Fantasy & Science Fiction. Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2014. Exhalation, like its predecessor, also ends with a brief, fascinating appendix of story notes detailing Chiangs inspiration and process for each story. for a similar feeling about time and cause. "Four things do not come back: the spoken word, the sped arrow, the past life, and the neglected opportunity.". : Try again. There stood a circular doorway whose massive frame was made of the same polished black metal, mounted in the middle of the room. This much-anticipated second collection of stories is signature Ted Chiang, full of revelatory ideas and deeply sympathetic characters. The shop owner tells him three stories of people who have traveled through the gate to meet their future selves. Great short read. | The best kind of science fiction." Barack Obama, via Facebook"THE UNIVERSE BEGAN AS AN ENORMOUS BREATH BEING HELD."In these nine stunningly original, provocative, and poignant stories, Ted Chiang tackles some of humanity's oldest questions along with new quandaries only he could imagine.In "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate," a . Your email address will not be published. . Hardcover - July 23, 2007. I couldnt help but wonder whether women in medieval Baghdad could really move around so freely without a chaperone, but enjoyed the tale within a tale within a tale structure. Ted Chiang is such an elegant, concise writer! My thanks to Kevin Ansbro for the enlightening, delightful find! ?W1\js! He Please try again. Your subscription will continue automatically once the free trial period is over. Across its nine stories, the discovery of a parallel Earth sparks an existential crisis for the devout; self-aware automatons organize and demand their rights; and a colony of robots gazes toward the sky and ponders its imminent demise. Never write a review in the heat of an angry moment. Completely in keeping with the stories of the Arabian Nights, right down to the stories with the story, the Baghdad and Cairo setting, the characters / character types and the format of the story. After the tale, Fuwaad, who is considering using the Gate, talks with Bashaarat about the nature of time and choice. There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. , ISBN-10 The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate (Burton, Michigan: Subterranean Press, 2007) [chap: hb/Jacob McMurray] Image courtesy of SF Site. O MIGHTY CALIPH AND Commander of the Faithful, I am humbled to be in the splendor of your presence; a man can hope for no greater blessing as long as he lives. Unable to add item to List. Please try your request again later. It wont be the last! Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate" imagines a time machine that obeys Einstein's theory of relativity essentially a doorway that you walk through from the present, emerging on the . If our lives are tales that Allah tells, then we are the audience as well as the players, and it is by living these tales that we receive their lessons. "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate" is from EXHALATION by Ted Chiang, published by Penguin Random House Audio, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random . fact that he comes across as a good person. It's very difficult to examine complex abstractions and, Hugo- and Nebula-winner Chiangs standout second collection (after 2002s Stories of Your Life and Others) explores the effects that technology and knowledge have on consciousness, free. Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2007. The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate won both the Nebula Award and Hugo Award for Best Novelette, and, frankly it's easy to see why. As unchangeable as the past? Get Annual Plans at a discount when you buy 2 or more! Published 2007. Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations. Great writing - not enough to satisify for the price, though, Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2007. The room remains the same, no matter which door you use to enter. The best introduction to Ted Chiang is to read the anthology. What did they learn when talking to their older selves? Chiang remains the master of the sf short story. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. $24.99 Subscribers receive quality lists of upcoming deadlines for lit mags and contests, free fiction, and exclusive content regarding writing, craft, and interviews from established authors. In this novelette, Fuwaad ibn Abbas, a merchant in ancient Baghdad is brought before the Caliph, the chief Muslim civil and religious ruler, with a story of time travel brought on by the Egyptian Alchemist . The story I have to tell is truly a strange one, and were the entirety to be tattooed at the corner . Sci-fi & Fantasy Anthology by Whatcom Community College is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted. That is precisely what happens, though the weaver finds that neither his present nor future selves gain much from the theft. It begins with a walk in the bazaar, but soon grows into a tale unlike any other told in the caliph's empire. hgYu`> Zhyz 8#4]Lt Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. (p. 71). The author has such an amazing command of that elusive literary quality which is called voice that partway through I forgot that I wasn't listening to a master storyteller. Did you know you can highlight text to take a note? 3gO|pzq1'HC`L- ;zin4EALnv`CL8#Om0XYivyrKa@ After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web. Above all, it's a story about recognizing the will of Allah and accepting it, no matter what form it takes. Not to be missed! In short, this was the best story of 2015 for me. % At 13, Lucy Hart ran away from home to escape neglectful parents, Atwood (The Handmaids Tale) explores love and loss in this brilliant collection that mixes fantastical stories about the afterlife with realism. Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2013. Continue to start your free trial. for a group? From an award-winning science fiction writer, the long-awaited new collection of stunningly original, humane, and already celebrated short stories. Free trial is available to new customers only. What I showed you before was a Gate of Seconds, he said. If it had been written with a more sci-fi setting, it still would have been good, but less fantastical. The Merchant and the Alchemists Gate, the first story in Ted Chiangs luminous new collection Exhalation, opens with a benediction: O mighty caliph and commander of the faithful, I am humbled to be in the splendor of your presence. Our narrator, Fuwaad ibn Abbas, informs us that he was born here in Baghdad, City of Peace, and that he has spent his life as a purveyor of fine fabricssilk from Damascus and linen from Egypt and scarves from Morocco that are embroidered with gold. Now, he stands in attendance before the caliph without a single dirham in my purse, but with a strange and winding story to tell.