I have to disagree with "Angevin Arbalest", of course (but what a wonderful moniker!), having spent several weeks immersed in Sinai Tapestry--today sees the completion of the first draft of my translation.

Point of view matters in this book. Stern, for instance, is not the same man as seen by O'Sullivan Beare or by Haj Harun. In turn, each character sometimes acquires a mythic dimension and becomes, in the eye of the beholder, God or "Jaysus" or a genie.

A story told at some point in space and time is not the same when told elsewhere/elsewhen. Go back to your Borges for some pointers.

This book is like the city of Jerusalem it describes: a succession of strata, each one hiding the other while explaining it. You have to see past the surface -- though it is brilliant enough.

Back to work.
Have a nice day,

Jean-Daniel

PS 1: Speaking of the surface, that is to say Whittemore's writing style: I noticed as I was translating the book that he never once uses an exclamation point (!). Periods, commas, question marks (.,?) are there, all right, but now I'll have to check for semicolons and... darn, how do you say ( in English?

PS 2: Please note that Haj Harun quotes Sancho Pansa at one time. Another layer...

--Previous Message--
: All comments are welcome, though we would
: prefer them to be positive.
: It is however a sad fact that there are
: people out there who just don't like
: Whittemore's books or don't GET him, just as
: there are writers who don't grab me even
: though other people rave about them.
: I would be interested to learn what you would
: class as a good read or who your favorite
: authors are.
: Then I might have some idea of where you're
: coming from.
:
:
:
:
: