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, Noura, 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
Praise for The Dark Side of Love: 'The Great Arab novel, without ifs, buts, or equivocations..' - The Guardian

On 15th October 2010 Arabia Books published The Calligrapher's Secret by the acclaimed Syrian writer Rafik Schami. This booklet includes an introductory essay on the political and social history of the Arabic script by Rafik Schami, as well as an extract from his new novel. 

Click here to view the booklet. 

Click here to view an online sample of the book.

A great review in Publishers Weekly:

'Warmly observed, richly detailed, and often bold and exciting, Schami's fine portrait of life in Damascus, Syria, in the middle of the 20th century is filled with a compelling set of characters. Noura is a Muslim girl who looks like Audrey Hepburn. Rami Arabi, her father, a noted sheikh, is frustrated that those who attend his mosque 'treat God like a waiter in a restaurant.' Salman is a Christian boy, hated by his drunkard father and devoted to his dog, and to Noura. Nasri Abbani is a wealthy man from an important family, but also a hopeless playboy, his business kept afloat only because of his clever clerk, Tawfiq. When Nasri sets foot in the studio of Hamid Farsi, the leading calligrapher in all of Syria, tragic and wondrous events are set in motion that will affect all in the most emphatic ways. Schami, born in Damascus, is one of Germany's most respected writers, bridging Arab and Western culture with his exquisite storytelling. A novel to be savored.' – Publishers Weekly, October 25, 2010