The Calligrapher's Secret

By Rafik Schami

Even as a young man, Hamid Farsi is acclaimed as a master of the art of calligraphy. But as time goes by, he sees that weakness in the Arabic language and its script limit its uses in the modern world. In a secret society, he works out schemes for radical reform, never guessing what risks he is running.

His beautiful wife, Nura, is ignorant of the great plans on her husband's mind. She knows only his cold avaricious side. No wonder she feels flattered by the attentions of his amusing, lively young apprentice. And so begins a passionate love story - the love of a Muslim woman and a Christian man.

Rafik Schami, born in Syria but living in political exile in Germany since 1970, is the author of The Dark Side of Love and winner of numerous international prizes.

Schami's previous novel, The Dark Side of Love, was longlisted for the 2010 Independent Foreign Fiction Prize.

Translated by Anthea Bell